^ 


•*p 


TRAVELS  AND  SKETCHES 


NOKTH  AND  SOUTH  AMERICA: 

EMBRACING  AN    ACCOUNT  OF  THEIR 

SITUATION,  ORIGIN,  PLAN,  EXTENT, 

THEIR 

INHABITANTS,  MANNERS,  CUSTOMS,  AND  AMUSEMENTS, 

AND 
PUBLIC  WORKS,  INSTITUTIONS,  EDIFICES,  &c. 

TOGETHER  WITH  SKETCHES  OF  HISTORICAL  EVENTS. 

BY  C,  A,  GOODRICH, 

WITH     ENGRAVINGS. 


HARTFORD: 

CASE,    TIFFANY    &    CO. 
1852. 


Entered  according-  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1851,  by 

CASE,    TIFFANY   AND    CO., 

in  the  Clerk's  office  of  the  District  Court  of  Connecticut. 


LOAN  STACK 


I  852, 


INTRODUCTION. 


A  distinguished  senator  in  our  American  Congress,  some  years  since, 
in  the  course  of  one  of  his  speeches,  when  speaking  of  the  commercial 
enterprise  of  our  countrymen,  related  the  following  curious  incident : 
"  A  ship  which  had  been  built  at  Pittsburg  was  freighted  and  cleared 
from  that  place  for  Leghorn.  On  her  arrival  at  the  place  of  her  destina 
tion,  the  master  presented  his  papers  to  the  proper  officers,  who  would 
not  credit  them  ;  but  said  to  him,  '  Sir,  your  papers  are  forged.  There 
is  no  such  place  as  Pittsburg  in  the  world  !  Your  vessel  must  be  con 
fiscated  !  '  The  trembling  captain  laid  before  the  officer  a  map  of  the 
United  States — directed  him  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico — pointed  out  to  him 
the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi — led  him  a  thousand  miles  up  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Ohio,  and  thence  another  thousand  up  to  Pittsburg.  '  There,  sir, 
is  the  port  whence  my  vessel  cleared.'  " 

The  ignorance  of  the  Leghorn  officer  of  the  customs  was  quite  par 
donable,  since  in  relation  to  a  new  country,  and  to  its  far  distant  and 
quite  inland  ports  of  entry,  he  might  not  have  had  an  opportunity  to  in 
form  himself.  But,  whatever  mortification  he  experienced,  it  must  have 
been  far  less  than  that  of  a  certain  English  nobleman,  who,  during  his 
travels  in  Italy,  was  shown  a  church,  which  he  so  much  admired  for  its 
elegance  of  structure,  as  to  request  permission  to  take  a  sketch  of  it. 
"  Oh  !  "  said  the  gentleman,  who  accompanied  him,  and  was  showing 
him  the  building, — "  You  have  no  occasion  to  put  yourself  to  that 
trouble  ;  the  model  was  taken  from  a  church  in  London,  the  very  place 
where  you  reside."  Surprised  and  confused,  his  lordship  desired  to 
know  what  edifice  like  it  London  could  contain,  which  had  escaped  his 
observation.  He  was  told  that  it  was  St.  Stephen  s,  Walbrook,  near  the 
Royal  Exchange.  It  is  further  added,  that  his  lordship  had  no  sooner 
arrived  in  London,  than  he  went  to  take  a  view  of  that  beautiful  monu 
ment  of  architecture,  which  is  esteemed  Sir  Christopher  Wren's  mas 
terpiece,  before  he  saw  any  of  his  friends,  or  returned  to  his  own 
home. 

The  author  has  introduced  these  humble  anecdotes  by  way  of  illus 
trating  the  importance  of  a  knowledge  of  the  world,  which  may  be 


viii  INTRODUCTION. 

inferred  from  the  first — and  especially  of  one's  own  country,  and  what 
of  improvements  it  contains,  which  is  strikingly  exhibited  in  the 
second. 

It  is  indeed  true,  that  in  older  countries,  where  the  arts  have  had 
longer  time  to  ripen,  and  wealth  to  increase,  the  traveller  will  find 
greater  and  more  numerous  objects  of  curiosity,  than  in  a  country, 
which,  like  our  own,  has  recently  sprung  into  existence,  and  where  as 
yet  the  wealth  of  the  people  is  employed  rather  in  expansion  than  in 
tasteful  improvement. 

Yet,  with  a  little  more  than  two  centuries  gone  over  our  heads,  since 
the  planting  of  the  first  colony  in  America,  and  while  a  good  portion  of 
that  period  has  been  spent  in  clearing  our  forests,  and  providing  the 
means  of  subsistence,  advances  have  been  made  in  literature,  in  the 
arts,  in  architecture,  &c.,  creditable  to  the  taste,  genius,  and  enterprise 
of  our  countrymen.  We  have,  indeed,  no  cities,  which  can  compare 
with  several  in  the  eastern  hemisphere — no  monuments  like  theirs — no 
palaces,  nor  baronial  castles — nor  a  hundred  other  objects  of  taste  and 
curiosity.  But,  in  the  settlements  of  a  wilderness,  stretching  hundreds 
and  even  thousands  of  miles,  on  every  side — in  the  erection  of  towns 
and  cities — in  the  manufacture  of  articles  of  taste  and  fancy — in  the 
variety  and  expansion  of  commerce — in  the  patronage  given  to  the  fine 
arts — in  the  elegance  and  even  grandeur  of  some  of  our  public  edifices, 
we  have  exceeded  all  anticipations,  and  are  without  a  parallel,  consider 
ing  the  infancy  of  our  country,  in  the  history  of  nations. 

For  centuries  after  the  invasion,  London,  that  world  in  miniature, 
bore  no  comparison  to  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  or  Boston. 
Westminster  Abbey  was  the  labor  of  half  a  century,  and  was  com 
pleted  at  the  distance  of  more  than  one  thousand  years  from  the  founda 
tion  of  the  city  in  which  it  stands.  St.  Paul's — that  monument  of  taste 
and  wealth — was  finished  less  than  one  hundred  years  ago. 

The  marvel  then  is,  not  that  America  has  achieved  so  little,  but  that 
she  has  accomplished  so  much.  Foreigners,  who  haw  travelled 
through  our  country,  have  been  wont  to  indulge  in  illiberal  criticisms, 
comparing  our  cities,  our  public  buildings,  our  specimens  of  the  fine 
arts,  &c.,  with  those  which  they  have  seen  beyond  the  waters,  in 
countries  which  have  been  settled  for  centuries,  and  where  princes  and 
noblemen  have  lavished  their  millions  upon  these  and  similar  objects, 
gathered  from  unwarrantable  and  oppressive  taxation.  But  how  absurd 
the  comparison  !  When  America  shall  have  attained  a  similar  age — 
when  her  forests  shall  have  been  felled — when  her  wealth  shall  have 
increased,  and  it  is  rapidly  rolling  up — when  her  enterprise  and  genius 
shall  become  concentrated,  and  be  applied  to  works  of  taste  and  mag 
nificence,  we  shall  doubtless  see  in  her  works,  objects  as  grand,  and 
monuments  as  splendid  and  enduring,  as  are  now  the  boast  of  countries 


INTRODUCTION.  IX 


which  were  grown  to  manhood,  when  she  first  came  on  to  the  stage. 
The  amateur  may  find  as  much  to  admire,  as  he  now  does  in  London, 
in  Paris,  in  Rome,  or  was  once  admired  in  Athens,  in  Thebes,  or 
Tadmor  of  the  Desert. 

But  already  our  country  presents  objects  sufficient  to  command  the 
admiration  and  gratify  the  taste  and  curiosity  of  her  citizens.  Were 
these  better  known,  they  would  be  more  appreciated.  Personal  obser 
vation  is  always  more  gratifying,  and  makes  deeper  and  more  lasting  im 
pressions,  than  verbal  descriptions.  But  there  are  a  multitude,  who 
enjoy  not  only  no  opportunity  for  foreign  travel,  but  have  neither  the 
means  nor  the  time  to  examine  the  various  objects  of  interest  in  their 
own  land.  They  visit  such  as  are  in  their  immediate  neighborhood, 
and  must  depend  upon  written  statements  for  the  rest.  Hence,  who 
ever  furnishes  a  correct  and  candid  description  of  objects  at  a  distance, 
performs  for  this  numerous  class  a  valuable  service. 

With  this  object  in  view,  the  author  has  prepared  the  present  work. 
It  is  designed  not  for  the  traveller,  who  has  had  the  advantage  of  a  per 
sonal  visit  to  the  places  described,  but  for  those  who  have  not  enjoyed, 
and  are  not  likely  to  enjoy  that  privilege.  The  attempt,  it  is  believed, 
is  new,  at  least  so  far  as  to  bring  into  a  single  volume,  and  independent 
of  other  subjects,  a  view  of  the  cities  of  the  American  continent.  It 
is  offered  only  as  an  approximation  to  what  is  confessedly  a  desideratum 
among  the  books,  which  are  found  in  the  families  of  our  country. 

The  object  of  the  work  is  two-fold — to  furnish  a  book  of  rational  enter 
tainment — one  which  may  pleasantly  occupy  for  a  few  weeks  the  leisure 
hours  and  long  evenings,  when  severer  toils  and  more  engrossing  occupa 
tions  are  necessarily  remitted  ;  and  secondly,  and  primarily,  to  present 
an  opportunity  to  the  younger  classes  of  society,  to  become  more  ex 
tensively  acquainted  with  the  chief  places  of  the  land,  and  the  interest 
ing  objects  which  they  contain.  As  was  noticed  in  the  prospectus — 
cities  are,  in  every  country,  and  justly,  objects  of  curiosity  and  attrac 
tion.  They  are  usually  centres  of  wealth,  influence  and  fashion.  They 
are  emporiums  of  trade  and  commerce — the  theatres  of  pleasure  and 
amusement — the  seats  and  patrons  of  the  fine  arts — the  workshops  of 
articles  of  taste  and  fancy — the  localities  for  rich  and  splendid  speci 
mens  of  architecture.  Here,  also,  may  be  seen,  in  profitable  contrast, 
society  in  its  different  materials,  forms  and  conditions — the  native  and 
the  foreigner — the  wealthy  and  the  poor — the  industrious  and  the  idle — 
the  sober  and  the  dissipated — the  serious  and  the  gay.  From  a  view  of 
mankind  thus  relatively  situated,  and  yet  differently  circumstanced, 
important  lessons  regarding  manners,  morals,  and  duty,  may  be  gather 
ed.  The  more  we  know  of  our  country — of  her  history — of  her  govern 
ment — the  genius  of  her  inhabitants — their  enterprise — the  institutions, 


NTRODUCTION 


which  they  have  founded— the  cities,  which  they  have  planted— the 
public  works,  which  they  have  projected  and  accomplished,  the  greater 
will  be  our  admiration,  and  the  stronger  our  patriotic  feeling.  At  the 
same  time,  such  knowledge  will  furnish  us  with  topics  of  useful  and 
enlightened  conversation.  We  shall  also  be  better  prepared  to  travel 
abroad,  if  that  privilege  and  pleasure  be  our  good  fortune,  and  better 
qualified  to  estimate  the  value  and  correctness  of  the  many  works  per 
taining  to  our  country,  which  issue  from  the  press — the  workmanship 
of  foreigners,  who  have  not  in  all  cases  been  disposed  to  do  America 
or  Americans  justice. 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION. 
NORTH    AMERICA. 

CANADA.— QUEBEC. 

Anecdote  of  Dean  Swift ;  Situation  of  Quebec;  Origin;  Appearance;  Harbor; 
Public  Edifices  ;  Mr.  Duncan's  visit  to  the.  Ursuline  Convent  ;  Fortifications  ;  Re 
duction  by  Wolf ;  Death  of  Wolf;  Reflections;  Assault  under  Montgomery;  his 
deut.li  ;  Character. 

MONTREAL. 

Mode  of  travelling  between  Montreal  and  Quebec  ;  Situation  of  Montreal  ;  Ap 
pearance  ;  Dress  and  Manners  of  the  Citizens  ;  Merchants  ;  Edifices  ;  French 
Church  ;  Visit  of  Mr.  Duncan  to  it  ;  Society  ;  Military  Events ;  Anecdote  of  Ethan 
Allen. 

UNITED    STATES. 

MASSACHUSETTS.— BOSTON. 

Settlement  of  Boston  ;  Situation  ;  The  Mall  ;  Stats  House  ;  Tremont  House  ; 
Dinner  Scene  ;  Farieuil  Hall  ;  Population  ;  Government  ;  Literary  and  Educational 
Institutions  ;  Harvard  College  ;  Mount  Auburn  ;  Characteristics  of  the  Citizens  ; 
A  Caricature  ;  Patriotism  ;  Revolutionary  Incidents;  Destruction  of  Tea. 

CHARLESTOWN. 

Settlement  ;  Situation  ;  Public  Works  ;  State  Prison  ;  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill  , 
Ceremonies  at  Laying  the  Corner  Stone  of  Bunker  Hill  Monument  ;  Webster's 
Address  on  the  occasion. 

MAINE.— POHTLAHD. 

Situation  ;  Harbor;  Ports;  Public  Edifices;  Character  of  the  Inhabitants;  Sav 
age  Depredations  ;  Attack  of  Captain  Mowatt. 

NEW   HAMPSHIRE.— PORTSMOUTH. 

Situation;  Population;  Appearance;  Harbor;  Forts;  Public  Buildings;  Bridges , 
Settlement  ;  Story  of  a  Hermit. 

VERMONT.— VEROENNES-. 
j          Settlement ;  Situation  ;  Population  ;  Commodore  JVlcDonough's  Flotilla. 

BURLINGTON. 

Delightful  Situation  ;  Vermont  University  ;  President  Dwight's  description  of  the 
surrounding  scenery. 

CONNECTICUT.— HARTFORD. 

Original  Settlers  ;  their  Journey  to  Connecticut ;  Distress  of  the  Colonies  ;  Re 
moval  of  Mr.  Hooker  ;  Gloomy  state  of  the  Colony  ;  Invasion  of  the  Perjuot  country  ; 
Amusing  extracts  from  the  Hartford  Colony  Laws;  Situation  of  Hartford  ;  Descrip 
tion  ;  State  House  ;  Asylum  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb;  Retreat  for  the  Insane  ;  Wash 
ington  College  ;  Election  Day. 

NEW    HAVEN. 

First  knowledge  of  the  English  of  the  place  ;  Arrival  of  Mr.  Eaton  and  his  Asso 
ciates  ;  Situation  of  New  Haven  ;  Description  of  the  city  ;  Surrounding  Scenery  ; 
Adventures  of  Goffe  and  Whalley  ;  Col.  Dixwell  ;  Cemetery  ;  Character  of  the  cit- 
i/.eris  ;  Public  Edifices  ;  Yale  College  ;  New  Township  ;  Fair  Haven  ;  Dragon  Point ; 
Extracts  from  the  early  Code  of  Laws  ;  Attack  of  the  British,  1779;  Sufferings  of 
President  Daguett. 

MIDDLETOWN. 

Origin  of  the  Settlement;  Account  of  Sowheag,  an  Indian  Sachem;  Beautiful 
situation  of  the  city  ;  Wesleyan  University  ;  Upper  Middletown. 

NORWICH. 

First  settlement  of  Norwich  ;  Situation  of  the  city  ;  Scenery  ;  Water  privileges  ; 
Biiryins-gr -und  of  Uncas  ;  Origin  of  Sachem's  Plain;  Uncas  and  Miantonimoh; 
Subsequent  History  of  Uncas. 

xi 


Xll  CONTENTS. 


NEW  LONDON. 

Settlement  of  New  London;  Situation;  Description;  Forts;  Burning  of  New 
London  by  Arnold  ;  Anecdotes  of  the  Rogerines. 

RHODE  ISLAND.— PROVIDENCE. 

Situation  of  Providence  ;  Pnlilic  buildings  ;  Blackstone  Canal  ;  Boston  and  Prov 
idence  Rail  Road  ;  Character  of  the  Citizens;  Roper  Williams  ;  Birth  ;  Early  His 
tory  ;  Removal  to  America;  Settlement  at  Salem;  Expulsion  from  the  Colony; 
Founds  Providence  ;  Family  of  Mr.  Williams  ;  Visits  England  and  procures  a  char 
ier  ;  Difficulties  with  the  Indians  ;  Death  of  Mr.  Williams  ;  Character. 

NEW  YORK.— NEW  YORK. 

Discovery  of  New  York  by  Verrazzano,  1M4  ;  By  Hudson,  1M9  ;  Incidents  of  his 
voyage  ;  Settlement  by  the  Dutch  ;  Notices  of  the  first  Dutch  settlers  ;  Houses  , 
Cleanliness;  Curious  domestic  o|*rations ;  Parties;  Manners;  Festivals  of  the 
Dutch  ;  Dress;  Furniture  ;  New  York  in  ItMU  ;  In  subsequent  years  ;  Population  ; 
Situation  of  the  city  ;  Approach  to  It  ;  Harbor  ;  Broadway  ;  City  Hall  ;  Park  ;  Bat- 
lery  ;  Churches  ;  Literary  and  other  In.-titutions  ;  Masonic  Hall;  New  Custom 
House  ;  Schools  ;  Pa|*rs  ;  Health  of  the  city  ;  Temperature  ;  Languages  ;  Cooper's 
account  of  the  Market;  Fruits;  Style  of  Living;  Domestic  comfort;  Description 
of  a  house  in  Broadway  belonging  to  a  gentleman  of  fortune  ;  Carriages  ;  Military 
events  ;  Retreat  through  Long  Island  ;  Evacuation  of  the  city  ;  Residence  of  the 
British  officers.  BROOKLYN.— Local  advantages  ;  Rapid  Growth  ;  Literary  and  Sci 
entific  Institutions  ;  Navy  Yard  ;  Greenwood  Cemetery  ;  Harbor;  Atlantic  Dock. 
ALBANY. 

Situation  ;  Original  settlement  ;  Dutch  architecture  ;  Change  effected  in  its  in 
habitants  ;  Plan  of  the  ( iiv  ;  Capitol  and  other  edifices  ;  Commercial  advantages  of 
Albany;  Opening  of  the  Erie  Canal. 

HUDSON. 

Situation  of  Hudson  ;  Present  state  ;  Whale  fishery  ;  Population. 

TROY. 

Situation;  Business  portion  of  the  city;  Public  buildings;  Female  Seminary; 
Rensselaer  School ;  Character  ;  Commerce  ;  Flour  manufacture. 

SCHENECTADY. 

Origin  of  the  name  ;  Situation  of  the  city  ;  Architecture;  Union  College  ;  Canal- 
ing  operations  ;  Early  History  ;  Indian  massacre  of  1G90. 

UTICA. 

Situation  of  the  city  ;  Hugh  White,  the  first  settler  ;  Thrilling  incident  respecting 
his  family  ;  Progress  of  L'tica  ;  Population  ;  Prospects. 

ROCHESTER. 

Recent  settlement ;  Historical  facts  relating  to  its  settlement ;  Adventure  of  Enos 
Stone  ;  Religious  festival  of  the  Senecas  ;  state  of  Rochester  in  1814;  Military  tac 
tics  of  an  American  officer  ;  Commencement  of  its  prosperity  ;  Character  of  its  set 
tlers  ;  Ecclesiastical  History  ;  Literary  establishments  ;  Business  style  of  Archi 
tecture  ;  Water  power  of  the  Genesee -,  Canal  trade  of  Rochester;  History  of  the 
flour  trade. 

BUFFALO. 

Situation  ;  Beauty  of  the  surrounding  scenery  ;  Destroyed  in  1814  ;  Thrift ;  Des 
cription  of  the  city  ;  Rlack  Rock  ;  Lines  of  communication  ;  Seneca  Reservation  ; 
Red  Jacket;  Oratory  of  this  chieftain  ;  Anecdotes. 

NEW  JERSEY.— TRENTO*. 

Settlement;  Kalm's  description  of  Trenton  in  1718;  Situation;  Present  state; 
Capture  of  one  thousand  Hessians,  by  Washington  in  177C> ;  Consequences  of  this 
victory. 

PENNSYLVANIA.— PHILADELPHIA. 

Philadelphia  prior  to  the  Revolution  ;  Character  of  the  inhabitants  by  different 
travellers  ;  Philadelphia  and  New  York  compared  ;  Commercial  advantages  ;  First 
impression*  ;  Penn's  Purchase  ;  Regularity  of  the  city  ;  Market  street ;  other  streets  ; 
Public  buildings  ;  Old  State  House;  Bank « f  Pennsylvania  ;  Rank  of  the  United 
States;  Churches;  Jewish  synagogues  ;  Charitable  and  Literary  institutions  ;  Girnrd 
College  ;  Kair  Mount  Water  Works  ;  Peale's  Museum  ;  Academy  of  Fine  Arts  ;  Li- 
brarie-  ;  Philadelphia  press  ;  Pennsylvania  University  ;  American  Philosophical  So 
ciety  ;  Character  by  Mr.  Hodffon  ;  Early  History  ;  Arrival  of  IV mi  ;  Conference 
with  the  Indians  ;  The  treaty  Elm  tree  ;  Penn's  early  residence  ;  Shippen's  house  ; 
Fir.-t  Church  ;  Franklin's  account  of  the  early  inhabitants  ;  Customs  before  the  Rev 
olution  ;  Wedding  entertainments  ;  Diet ;  DreM  ;  Various  reminiscences. 

MARYLAND.— BALTIMORE. 

Rapid  growth  of  Baltimore;  Ktlei  t  of  the  late  war  upon  Baltimore;  Speculations 
of  1818  ;  Situation  and  plan  of  the  city  ;  Merchants  Exchange  ;  Catholic  Cathedral  , 


CONTENTS.  Xlll 

Socinian  Chapel  ;  Washington  iMonuinerit  ;  Battle  Monument  ;  Trade  of  Baltimore ; 
Flour  Mills  j  Attack  of  the  British,  in  1814. 

DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA— WASHINGTON. 

Situation  of  Washington  ;  Anecdote  of  Gen.  Washington  ;  Cession  of  the  District 
by  Maryland  and  Virginia;  Removal  of  the  government  in  1801);  Progress  of  the  city 
prior  to  1S14  ;  Effect  of  burning  the  Capitol ;  1'lan  of  the  city  ;  Description  of  the 
Capitol;  Senate  Chamber ;  Representatives'  Hall;  Rotunda;  Paintings;  Library; 
Supreme  Court ;  President's  Uonse  ;  Dinner  parties  ;  Offices;  State  of  Society  ;  Lit 
erary  taste  ;  Amusements;  Invasion  of  Washington;  Destruction  of  the  National 
edifices;  Mount  Vernon  ;  Tomb  of  Washington  ;  Visit  of  Lafayette  ;  Last  hours  of 
Washington  ;  Character  of  Washington,  by  Lord  Brougham. 
GEORGETOWN. 

Situation;  Population;  Society;  Public  Institutions;  Convent  of  Visitation. 
ALEXANDRIA. 

Situation;  Harbor;  Commerce. 

VIRGINIA.— RICHMOND. 
Situation  ;  General  description  ;  Burning  of  the  Theatre  in  1811. 

NORTH  CAROLINA.— RALEIGH. 
Origin  of  its  name  ;  Situation  ;  Brief  description. 

SOUTH  CAROLINA.— CHARLESTON. 

Situation  ;  Account  of  Charleston,  by  Capt.  B.  Hall  ;  Remarks,  by  F.  Hall  ;  Un- 
healthiness  ;  Extract  from  the  Duke  of  Saxe  Weimar's  travels  ;  Rice  Mill;  Popula 
tion;  Character;  Manners;  Attack  on  Charleston,  1776;  Gallant  defence  of  Fort 
Moultrie;  Heroic  Achievement  of  Sergeant  Jasper. 

GEORGIA.— SAVANNAH. 

Situation  ;  Plan  of  the  city  ;  Business  ;  Commencement  of  Savannah  by  Gen.  Ogle- 
thorpe  ;  Mary  Musgrove  anil  Thomas  Bosom  worth  ;  Difficulties  produced  by  them  ; 
Revolutionary  incidents;  Siege  of  Savannah  ;  Enterprise  of  six  Americans. 

FLORIDA.— ST.  AUGUSTINE. 

Settlement  ;  Situation  ;  Plan  of  the  city  ;  Fort  Mason  ;  Population  ;  Character; 
Schools  ;  Resort  for  invalids  ;  Yellow  Fever ;  Cultivation  of  the  Orange  ;  Patgo  ; 
Pozev  dance. 

LOUISIANA.— NEW  ORLEANS. 

Imposing  view  of  New  Orleans  ;  Situation  ;  Extent;  Style  of  Buildings  ;  Plan  ; 
Cathedral  ;  Churches  ;  Charitable  Institutions  ;  Population  ;  Character  of  Citizens  ; 
Health;  Water;  Commerce;  Market;  Influence;  Police;  Balize  ;  Breaches  in 
the  Levee  ;  Battle  of  New  Orleans. 

KENTUCKY.— LEXINGTON. 
Settlements;   Appearance  of  the  city  ;   Transylvania  University ;  Public  edifices. 

LOUISVILLE. 
Commercial  importance  of  Louisville  ;  Public  buildings  ;  Inhabitants;  Canal. 

OHIO.— CINCINNATI. 

Situation  ;  Rapid  Settlement;  Admirable  position  of  Cincinnati  ;  General  plan  of 
the  city  ;  Public  buildings ;  Manufactures;  Commerce;  Population  5  Schools;  Pork 
establishments. 

MISSOURI.— ST.   Louis. 
Situation  ;   Recent  settlement  ;  Rapid  advancement  ;  Future  prospects. 

ALABAMA.— MOBILE. 
Description;  Commerce;  Railroad;  History. 

MISS  I  SSI  PPL— VICKSBURG. 
Description;  Commerce;  Railroad. 

ARKANSAS.— LITTLE  ROCK. 
Description ;  Other  towns  in  Arkansas. 

TENNESSEE.— NASHVILLE— KNOXVILLE. 
Description;  Scenery;  Commerce. 

INDIANA. — INDIANAPOLIS — VINCENNES. 

Description;  History;  Settlement;  Indian  Wars;  Colonel  Georjre  Roarers  Clarke; 
Capture  of  Vincennes. 

ILLINOIS.— KASKASKIA— CHICAGO— NAUVOO— GALENA. 

Description;  Capture  of  Kaskaskia;  Description;  Massacre  of  Chicago;  Description; 
The  Moruions  at  Nauvoo;  Description. 


14  CONTENTS. 


MICHIGAN.— DETROIT. 
Description;  Siege  by  Pontiac;  Surrender  of  Hull. 

WISCONSIN.— MILWACK.IE— PRAIRIE  »u  CHIEX. 
Description;  Commerce;  Council  at  Prairie  du  Chien. 

IOWA.— BURLINGTON. 

Description ;  Other  towns. 

CALIFORNIA.— TUB  ROUTE— SAN  FRANCISCO— BEMCIA— SACRAMENTO— SEACOAST  TOWNS 

— Los  ANGELES. 

The  Isthmus  Route;  Description  of  San  Francisco;  Its  history;  Inhabitants  and 
Trade;  Description  of  Benicia;  Description  of  Sarramento:  Its  history;  Inhabitants 
and  Trade:  Monterey;  Santa  Barbara;  San  Juan;  San  Diego;  Los  Angles;  Its 
beauties;  The  Hold  Discovery;  Description  of  Stanislaus  Mine;  The  Miners  and  their 
Implement*;  History;  Discovery  of  California;  Settlement  by  the  Jesuits  ;  Conquest 
by  the  United  States  Forces;  Consequences  of  the  Gold  Discovery. 

MEXICO. 

VKRA  CRUZ. 

Introductory  remarks;  Approach  to  Vera  Cruz;  Castle  of  St.  Juan  d'Ulloa;  Re 
cent  destruction  of  it  by  the  French;  Port  of  Vera  Cruz;  Description  of  the  city; 
UnhealthiiK'ss;  Society;  Population. 

PUEBLA. 

Situation;  Population;  Description;  Religious  edifices;  Carriages;  Market; 
Manufactures. 

CHOLULA. 
Situation;  Population;  Manufactures;  Celebrated  temple. 

MEXICO. 

Situation;  Invasion  of  Cortes.  1519;  Armament:  Conduct  at  Vera  Cruz;  Attempted 
interview  with  MonU-zuma;  Resistance  to  this  proposal;  Character  of  Montozuina ; 
Indecision  of  the  Kmpcror:  Cunning  of  Cortes;  Progress  of  the  Invaders;  Conference 
IM-IWCCU  Montezuma  and  Cortes;  Description  of  the  City  by  Cortes;  Access  to  it;  Tem 
ples;  MonU-zumall.:  Splendor  of  his  Court;  Sacrifices;  Gladiatorial  Sacrifice;  Games; 
Fliers;  Powers  of  Hereuta;  Measuresof  Cortes  to  extend  his  power;  Montezuma  sei/.ed  ; 
K  volition  of  Qualpopoca:  Artful  expedient  of  Cortes  to  secure  the  command  of  the 
lake;  Critical  situation  of  Cortes;  Attack  upon  the  inhabitants ;  Retreat  of  Cortes 
and  death  of  Montczuma;  Reappearance  of  Cortes;  Death  of  Gnatimozin:  Capture 
of  the  city ;  Modern  Mexico;  Situation;  Humboldt's  estimate  of  Mejcico ;  Plaza  Ma 
jor;  Cathedral;  Palace;  I'otanical  Garden:  Churches;  Palace  of  the  Inquisition; 
Hospital  of  Jesus;  Present  state  of  the  arts;  University;  Intelligence  of  the  people; 
Alinoda,  or  Promenade;  Paseo  Nuevo  ;  Police;  Population. 

GDANAXUATO. 
Situation;  Description;  Population;  Gold  and  Silver  mines;  Inhabitants. 

GU  AT  KM  A  L  A.— G  UATEMALA. 

Conquest  of  Guatemala;  Situation;  Old  Guatemala;  Calamities  of  the  old  city; 
Earthquakes;  Epidemics;  Destruction;  Founding  of  the  new  city  ;  Scenery;  Appear 
ance;  Plaza,  or  Market-place;  Aqueducts;  Houses  :  Smoking:  Domestic  occupations; 
Costumes;  Marriage  customs;  Funerals;  State  of  Society ;  Wretched  character  of  the 
Police. 

SOUTH   AMERICA. 

BRAZIL.— FT.  SEBASTIAN,  OR  Rio  DK  JANEIRO. 

Situation;  First  Settlement;  Harbor:  Style  of  Architecture;  Nuisances;  Descrip 
tion  of  the  city  ;  Churches;  Cathedral;  Royal  Palace;  Aqueduct;  Manners;  Ladit-s; 
Shopkeepers;  Superstitious  Observances;  Barbers;  Post-office;  Administration  of 
.hi-M.-e;  Instance  of  A<sa«iinition ;  Police;  Executions;  Commerce;  Manufactures; 
Exports;  Coffee;  Sugar;  Population. 

BAIIIA. 

Situation;  Trade;  General  Description;  Late  Improvements;  Society;  Drew; 
Amusements. 


CONTENTS.  15 


COLOMBIA.— BOGOTA. 

Situation;  Appearance;  Public  Buildings;  Principal  Streets;  Plaza;  Sale  of  Dif 
ferent  Commodities;  Environs;  General  Routine;  Priests;  Population;  Climate; 
Cataract  of  Tequendama. 

CARACCAS. 

La  Guayra,  the  port  of  Caraccas;  Road  to  Caraccas ;  Mr.  Semple's  Journey;  Situa 
tion  of  Caraccas;  Description;  Public  Edifices;  Population;  Awful  Convulsion  of  1812; 
Extent  of  the  Desolation. 

NEW  VALENCIA. 
Situation;  Advantageous  "Position  ;  Population;  Character;  Description. 

PUERTO  CABELLO. 
Importance;  Situation;  Harbor;  Unhealthiness ;  Bay  of  Burburata. 

CARTIIAGENA. 

Bay  and  Port;  Situation  of  the  City ;  Description;  Strength;  Population;  Trades; 
Women  of  Color  ;  History ;  Climate. 

BOLIVIA.— CHUQOISACA. 
Situation  ;  Popul&tion ;  Climate  ;  Public  Buildings. 

POTOST. 

Situation;  Population;  Elevation;  Mines;  Mint;  Climate;  Market;  Singular  Cus 
tom;  LaPaz;  Oropeza;  Oruro. 

PERU.— LIMA. 

Situation;  Callao.  the  port  of  Lima;  Roari ;  Appearance  of  Lima;  Inhabitants; 
Great  Square:  Cathedral:  Parish  Churches;  University;  Colleges;  Inquisition; 
Adventure  of  Mr.  Stevenson :  Tsmtheon:  LuNury  and  Dissipation;  Abandoaed  Char 
racter  of  the  Priests ;  Houses ;  Streets ;  Climate ;  Earthquakes ;  Dress. 

CUSCO. 
Situation;  Houses;  Population;  Antiquity. 

AREQUIPA. 
Situation;  Population;  General  Remarks. 

TRUXILLO. 
Situation;  Extent;  Streets;  Dress  and  Customs. 

BUENOS  A  YRES.— BUENOS  ATRES. 

Name:  Situation:  Population;  Houses;  Inhabitants:  Gauclios;  Ox-wagons 
Fruits;  Market;  Plaza;  Simps;  Appearance;  Dress;  Churches. 

CHILE.— SANTIAGO. 

Situation;  Representations  of  Travellers;  Plaza;  Palace;  Cathedral;  Cocsulado; 
Mint;  Approach  from  M^ndoza. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Frontispiece. 
Ornamental  title  page. 

PAGE 

View  of  Quebec,  from  the  Harbor 23 

Portrait  of  General  Wolfe 25 

Portrait  of  William  Pitt,  Earl  of  Chatham 34 

Siege  of  Quebec 36 

Wolfe's  Army  ascending  the  Heights  of  Abraham 38 

Death  of  General  Wolfe ! 39 

Portrait  of  General  Montgomery 41 

Death  of  General  Montgomery 43 

Funeral  of  General  Montgomery 45 

Place  d'Armes,  Montreal 53 

View  of  Boston  and  Bunker  Hill,  from  Chelsea 60 

Park  street  church,  and  Trinity  church,  Boston 65 

Bowdoin  Square  church,  Tremont  House,  Faneuil  Hall,  Hospital, 

and  King's  Chapel,  Boston 66 

View  of  Faneuil  Hall,  Boston 68 

Destruction  of  Tea  in  Boston  Harbor 77 

View  of  Boston,  from  Dorchester  Heights 79 

Washington's  Head-Quarters  at  Cambridge 81 

Battle  of  Bunker  Hill 83 

Portrait  of  General  Howe,  and  of  General  Burgoyne 85 

Portrait  of  General  Stark 86 

View  of  Bunker  Hill  Monument 90 

Portrait  of  General  Warren 93 

View  of  the  Burning  of  Falmouth 103 

Retreat  for  the  Insane  at  Hartford 112 

Emigration  of  Mr.  Hooker  and  his  Colony 117 

Destruction  of  the  Pequots 120 

Wadsworth  Athenseum,  Hartford 126 

View  of  Yale  College  and  Park,  New  Haven 134 

2  17 


18  LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Portrait  of  Sowheag,  the  Great  Sachem 155 

Portrait  of  Uncas 158 

Portrait  of  President  Jackson 161 

Portrait  of  Miantonimoh 163 

View  of  New  Loudon 172 

Portrait  of  Benedict  Arnold 177 

Burning  of  Groton 179 

First  Baptist  Church,  Providence 185 

Roger  Williams  received  by  the  Indians 191 

Roger  Williams  in  exile 193 

View  of  Neif  York  from  Weehawken 202 

Portrait  of  Vcrazzano 207 

View  of  New  York,  from  the  Harbor 223 

View  of  the  Park  and  City  Hall,  New  York 226 

Custom  House,  New  York 229 

Trinity  Church,  New  York 230 

Retreat  of  the  Americans  from  Long  Island 245 

View  of  the  City  of  Albany 249 

Portrait  of  Count  de  Frontenac 259 

View  of  the  City  of  Utica 2b'l 

View  of  the  Genesee  Falls,  at  Rochester 276 

Portrait  of  General  Schuyler 281 

Washington  crossing  the  Delaware  at  Trenton 289 

View  of  the  Battle  of  Trenton 290 

View  of  the  Battle  of  Princeton 293 

View  of  Philadelphia,  from  Camden 296 

Portrait  of  William  Penn 299 

Artist's  Fund  Hall,  Philadelphia 302 

Portrait  of  Stephen  Girard 305 

Girard  College 308 

Suspension  Bridge  over  the  Schuylkill  River,  at  Philadelphia 311 

Franklin  entering  Philadelphia.     Franklin  founding  the  Phila 
delphia  Library 314 

United  States  Mint,  Philadelphia 317 

Pcnn's  Treaty  with  the  Indians .' 323 

Battle  Monument,  Baltimore 339 

View  of  the  City  of  Baltimore 341 

Bombardment  of  Fort  McIIenry 345 

Full  length  Portrait  of  General  Washington 348 

View  of  Mount  Vernon — View  of  Georgetown 351 

Capitol  at  Washington 353 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS.  19 

PAGE 

President's  House  at  Washington 359 

Portrait  of  Commodore  Barney 369 

View  of  Mount  Vernon 373 

View  of  Fort  Washington 376 

View  of  the  Old  Tomb  of  Washington 379 

View  of  the  New  Tomb  of  Washington 379 

View  of  Richmond 387 

Attack  of  the  British  on  Charleston,  June,  1776 401 

Portrait  of  Admiral  Parker 402 

Portrait  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton 405 

Portrait  of  Lord  Cornwallis 406 

Portrait  of  General  Oglethorpe 413 

Portrait  of  Bosomworth  and  Malatche 417 

Portrait  of  General  Lincoln 421 

Portrait  of  Count  D'Estaing 422 

Death  of  Pulaski 424 

Portrait  of  General  H.  Lee 425 

View  on  the  Alabama  River 433 

Stage-Coach  travelling  in  the  Western  Country 436 

Flat  Boats • 439 

View  of  the  City  of  New  Orleans 440 

View  of  the  Cathedral  at  New  Orleans 444 

General  Jackson  relieving  the  wounded  after  the  Battle  of  New 

Orleans 457 

View  of  Nashville 460 

View  of  the  Mammoth  Cave,  Kentucky 465 

View  of  Detroit 497 

Portrait  of  Pontiac 498 

View  of  San  Francisco 514 

Street  in  San  Francisco  in  1850 517 

View  of  Vera  Cruz 541 

View  of  Jalapa 544 

View  of  Pueblo  de  los  Angeles 547 

Pyramid  of  Cholula 553 

View  of  the  City  of  Mexico 554 

Portrait  of  Cortez 557 

View  of  the  Great  Square  in  the  City  of  Mexico 564 

View  of  the  City  of  Mexico,  from  the  Convent  of  San  Cosme 567 

Common  Sacrifice 569 

Gladiatorial  Sacrifice 570 

Mexican  Feats  of  Activity — The  Fliers 573 


20  LIST    OP    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

Mexican  Feats  of  Activity — The  Dancers 574 

Montezuma  chained  by  order  of  Cortez.     Retreat  of  Cortez 579 

Portrait  of  Sandoval 583 

View  of  the  Interior  of  a  Mexican  House 586 

Group  on  the  Stone  of  Sacrifices 589 

View  of  Chapultepec,  the  fortress  which  commands  the  City  of 

Mexico 596 

Portrait  of  Alvarado 602 

View  of  Rio  Janeiro 615 

View  of  the  City  of  Bahia 631 

Arrieros,  or  Carriers ."€37 

Portrait  of  Pizarro 669 

Ancient  Peruvian  Architecture 673 


TRAVELS  AND  SKETCHES 


NORTH  AID  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


NORTH  AMERICA. 


CANADA.— QUEBEC. 

IT  is  somewhere  related  of  the  eccentric  Dean  Swift,  that 
in  one  of  his  pedestrian  journeys  to  Holyhead,  he  stopped 
at  the  sign  of  the  Crown,  in  a  place  called  Church  Stratton, 
and  ordered  dinner.  But,  not  loving  to  digest  a  good  meal 
alone,  he  inquired  of"  mine  host,"  who  was  a  good  humored 
and  obliging  man,  whether  there  was  not  some  agreeable  per 
son  in  the  town,  whom  he  could  invite  to  share  a  good  din 
ner  with  him.  The  landlord,  on  casting  about,  suggested 
the  curate,  Mr.  Jones,  "  who,"  he  said,  "  was  a  very  com 
panionable  man,  and  would  have  no  objection,"  he  dare  say, 
"  to  spend  a  few  hours,  with  a  gentleman  of  his  (the  Dean's) 
appearance." 

The  Dean  being  quite  pleased  with  the  recommendation, 
desired  the  landlord  to  wait  upon  Mr.  Jones,  with  his  com 
pliments,  and  say  that  a  traveller  would  be  glad  to  be  favor 
ed  with  his  company,  at  the  Crown,  if  it  was  agreeable. 

It  happened  to  be  the  lecture  day  of  the  curate ;  but  he, 
thinking  that  his  duty  to  the  stranger  and  his  people  might 
both  be  performed,  accepted  the  invitation  ;  and  at  the  hour 
named,  sat  down  to  partake  of  the  hospitality  of  his  new 
friend,  whose  name  continued  still  unknown  to  him.. 

On  the  arrival  of  three  o'clock,  the  curate  felt  obliged  to 
excuse  himself,  to  attend  divine  service  at  the  church.  Upon 
this  intimation,  the  Dean  replied,  that  he  would  do  himself 

21 


22  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

QUEBEC. 

the  pleasure  to  attend   also,   and  hoped   to  see   his  clerical 
friend  again,  after  service. 

When  the  two  gentlemen  found  themselves  once  more  at 
the  Crown,  the  Dean  began  to  compliment  Mr.  Jones,  on  the 
delivery  of  a  very  appropriate  sermon  ;  and  remarked  "  that 
it  must  have  cost  him  some  time  and  attention,  to  compose 
such  a  discourse." 

The  curate  replied,  that  his  duty  was  rather  laborious,  as 
he  also  served  another  parish  church,  at  some  distance,  and 
therefore  he  could  pay  less  attention  than  he  could  wish  to 
the  composition  of  his  sermons. 

"  Well,"  said  the  Dean,  "  you  have  a  fine  talent  at  deliv 
ery,  and  it  is  well  you  have  ; — my  sermon,  which  you  preach 
ed  this  afternoon,  cost  me  a  great  deal  of  labor,  but  you 
spoke  it  admirably." 

The  curate's  countenance  fell. 

"  However,  my  good  friend,"  continued  the  Dean, — 
"  don't  be  alarmed — you  have  so  good  a  talent  at  delivery, 
that  I  hereby  declare,  you  have  done  more  honor  to  my  ser 
mon,  than  I  could  have  done  myself;  and  now,  by  way  of 
compromising  matters  between  us,  you  must  accept  this 
half  guinea." 

It  will  readily  occur  to  our  readers,  that  the  author  of  the 
following  work,  is  in  circumstances,  not  altogether  dissimi 
lar  to  those  of  the  curate.  For,  not  having  had  the  advan 
tage  of  a  personal  visit  to  a  moiety  of  the  places,  which  he 
proposes  to  describe,  he  will  have  to  depend  upon  the  pub 
lished  accounts  of  travellers,  who  have  been  more  fortunate. 
But  while  he  avoids  the  sin  into  which  the  curate  fell,  in  at 
tempting  to  conceal  his  plagiarism,  he  hopes  to  merit  some 
what  of  the  praise  bestowed  by  the  comic  Dean,  by  making 
his  descriptions  appear  better,  in  this  volume,  than  they  do 
even  in  the  works  of  the  actual  travellers  themselves.  This 
he  will  attempt,  by  enlargement,  in  case  of  deficiency,  and 
abridgment,  in  case  of  prolixity.  And  while  for  the  "  hon 
or"  thus  done  to  several  authors,  he  might,  perhaps,  in 
courtesy,  expect  from  them  a"  half  guinea,"  he  will  be  con 
tent  to  receive  it  from  any,  who  will  do  him  the  honor,  to 
purchase  the  volume. 

Without  further  detention,  by  way  of  exordium,  he  begs 
leave  to  introduce  his  travelling  companions  to  the  ancient 
and  celebrated  capital  of  the  Canadas — QUEBEC. 


24  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 

QUEBEC. 

This  city  is  situated  in  the  lower  Province  of  British 
America,  on  the  north-west  side  of  the  river  St.  Lawrence, 
180  miles  below  Montreal  ;  400  miles  from  the  sea  ;  TOO 
west-by-north  from  Halifax  ;  and  740  from  Washington. 

The  city  was  founded  on  the  third  of  July,  1008,  by  Sam 
uel  de  Champlain,  geographer  to  the  king,  lie  commenced 
building  on  Cape  Diamond.  In  1629,  it  \vas  taken  by  the 
English  ;  but  was  esteemed  of  so  little  value,  that  it  was  re 
stored  to  the  French  in  10*2.  It  continued  in  the  hands  of 
private  adventurers,  or  trading  companies,  till  10:53;  when 
it  was  made  a  royal  government,  and  became  a  regular  and 
important  colony.  it  was  again  taken  by  the  British  in 
1759,  and  with  the  whole  country,  was  confirmed  to  them  by 
treaty,  in  1763.  Since  that  time,  it  has  been  the  capital  of 
the  British  Provinces. 

Quebec  occupies  the  extremity  of  a  promontory,  formed 
by  the  rivers  St.  Lawrence  and  St.  Charles.  The  latter  of 
which,  coming  down  from  the  northern  hills,  flows  for  a 
time  nearly  at  right  angles  to  the  former  ;  it  then  makes  an 
abrupt  bend  towards  the  east,  and  gradually  inclines  down 
ward,  till  the  two  streams  unite  before  the  rocky  cape  upon 
which  Quebec  stands.  The  city  is  thus  surrounded  with 
water  on  all  but  one  side. 

The  appearance  of  Quebec,  as  you  approach  it  coming 
down  from  Montreal,  by  steamboat,  is  very  imposing.  The 
banks,  for  some  distance  above  Wolfe's  cove — so  called, 
from  being  the  spot,  whence  General  Wolfe  and  his  army 
ascended  the  heights  of  Abraham — are  covered,  observes 
Mr.  Duncan,  with  brush-wood,  and  on  the  beach  below 
white  houses  are  scattered,  at  short  intervals.  The  fortifi 
cations  of  the  city  come  gradually  into  prospect;  first,  are 
seen  two  of  the  Martello  towers,  which  like  gigantic  senti 
nels  keep  watch  over  the  celebrated  plains  :  then,  the  re 
doubts  around  the  citadel,  on  the  summit  of  Cape  Diamond, 
slowly  develop  their  strength  ;  embrasures,  cannon,  and  loop 
holes,  successively  presenting  themselves.  Over  one  battery 
appears  the  mast  and  yard  of  a  telegraph  ;  and  close  to  the 
brow  of  the  steep  rock,  345  feet  above  the  waters  of  the 
river,  is  the  flagstaff  and  banner  of  the  citadel.  At  the  very 
bottom  of  the  steep,  and  apparently  covering  the  very  scanty 
portion  of  ground  which  is  saved  from  the  encroachment  of 
the  river,  are  the  numerous  buildings  of  the  lower  town  of 


GENERAL  WOLFE. 


26  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

QUEBEC. 

Quebec,  with  the  wharfs,  \\4iich  have  been  projected  into 
the  stream,  and  vessels  of  various  kinds  crowding  around 
tin-in.  On  the  right  hand  bank,  and  a  little  lower  than  the 
city,  Point  Levi,  covered  with  buildings,  and  sloping  up  more 
gradually  from  the  river,  stretches  out,  so  as  considerably  to 
contract  the  channel.  Before  you  is  the  ample  bay,  four 
miles  in  length,  with  the  island  of  Orleans  for  its  back 
ground,  while  to  the  right  and  left  and  all  around,  are  nu 
merous  merchantmen,  and  an  occasional  man-of-war  ;  some 
of  them  recently  from  the  ports  of  Britain,  and  others  wait 
ing  a  wind,  to  waft  them  to  its  shores. 

The  harbor  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  grandest  imaginable, 
strongly  resembling  the  Bay  of  Naples.  It  is  capable  of  ac 
commodating  one  hundred  sail  of  the  line.  The  tide  rises 
about  17  feet  in  common  tides,  and  23  in  spring  tides.  The 
common  depth  of  the  water  is  28  fathoms.  Above  the  city, 
the  St.  Lawrence  is  12  miles  wide  ;  but  here  it  contracts  it 
self  suddenly  to  the  width  of  one  mile.  From  this  circum 
stance,  according  to  some  authorities,  the  city  derives  its 
name  Qucbeio  or  Quebec,  signifying  in  the  Algonquin  lan 
guage,  contraction.  On  disembarking  at  the  wharfs,  it  is 
sometimes  necessary  to  ascend  by  a  sloping  plank  40  or  50 
feet  long. 

To  a  traveller  from  the  United  States  every  thing  around 
him,  on  entering  this  city,  wears  a  new  and  foreign  aspect. 
"  Buildings  of  wood  and  even  of  brick,"  says  Professor  Sil- 
liman,  "  are  almost  entirely  unknown.  Stone,  either  rough 
from  the  quarry,  or  covered  with  white  cement,  or  hewn  ac 
cording  to  the  taste  and  condition  of  the  proprietor,  is  al 
most  the  only  material  for  building;  roofs,  in  many  in 
stances,  and  generally  on  the  better  sort  of  buildings,  glitter 
ing  with  tin  plate,  with  which  they  are  neatly  covered  ;  and 
turrets  and  steeples,  pouring  a  flood  of  light  from  the  same 
substance :  these  are  among  the  first  things  that  strike  the 
eyes  of  a  stranger,  entering  the  city  cf  Quebec." 

On  looking  round  upon  the  inhabitants,  "  he  sees  a  new 
population,  and,  to  a  great  extent,  a  completely  foreign  peo 
ple,  with  French  faces  and  French  costume  ;  the  French 
language  salutes  his  ear,  as  the  common  tongue  of  the 
streets  and  shops  :  in  short,  he  perceives  that  even  in  the 
very  capital,  there  is  only  a  sprinkling  of  English  popula 
tion;  it  is  still  a  French  city;  and  the  cathedral,  the  exten- 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.        .  27 

QUEBEC. 

sive  college  of  the  Jesuits,  now  used  for  barracks,  and 
most  of  the  public  buildings  and  private  houses  are  French. 
He  sees  troops  mingled,  here  and  there,  with  the  citizens  ; 
he  perceives  the  British  uniform,  and  the  German,  in  the 
British  service,  which  remind  him  that  the  country  has  mas 
ters  different  from  the  mass  of  its  population ;  and  although 
the  military  are,  obviously,  not  subjects  of  terror  to  the  citi 
zens,  the  first  impression  borders  on  melancholy,  when  we 
see  these  memorials  of  an  empire  fallen,  and  of  an  empire 
risen  in  its  stead.  Sixty  years  have  done  little  towards  ob 
literating  the  Gallic  features  of  the  country.  Trumpets  and 
bugles,  and  French  horns  now  startle  us  with  a  sudden  burst 
of  martial  music,  and  we  can  hardly  believe  that  we  are  not 
arrived  in  a  fortified  town  of  Europe." 

"  For  an  American  city,"  observes  the  same  traveller, 
"  Quebec  is  certainly  a  very  peculiar  place. 

"  A  military  town — containing  about  twenty  [now  thirty] 
thousand  inhabitants — most  compactly  and  permanently 
built — stone  its  sole  material — environed,  as  to  its  most  im 
portant  parts,  by  walls  and  gates — and  defended  by  numer 
ous  heavy  cannon — garrisoned  by  troops,  having  the  arms, 
the  costume,  the  music,  the  discipline  of  Europe — foreign  in 
language,  feature,  and  origin,  from  most  of  those  whom  they 
are  sent  to  defend — founded  upon  a  rock,  and  in  its  highest 
parts,  overlooking  a  great  extent  of  country — between  three 
and  four  hundred  miles  from  the  ocean — in  the  midst  of  a 
great  continent — and  yet  displaying  fleets  of  foreign  mer 
chantmen,  in  its  fine  capacious  bay — and  shewing  all  the 
bustle  of  a  crowded  sea-port — its  streets  narrow — populous 
and  winding  up  and  down  almost  mountainous  declivities — 
situated  in  the  latitude  of  the  finest  parts  of  Europe — exhib 
iting  in  its  environs,  the  beauties  of  an  European  capital — 
and  yet  in  winter  smarting  with  the  cold  of  Siberia — gov 
erned  by  a  people,  of  different  language  and  habits,  from  the 
mass  of  the  population — opposed  in  religion,  and  yet  leaving 
that  population  without  taxes,  and  in  the  full  enjoyment  of 
every  privilege,  civil  and  religious  ;  such  are  some  of  the 
most  prominent  features,  which  strike  a  stranger  in  the  city 
of  Quebec."* 

The  streets  of  the  city  are  very  narrow,  and  crowded  with* 

*  Silliman's  Tour. 


28  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

QUEBEC. 

high  stone  houses  ;  numerous  cars  drive  furiously  along  be 
tween  the  granaries  and  the  wharfs,  the  carmen  standing  in 
their  vehicles,  and  scolding  in  loud  and  angry  French,  when 
their  progress  is  stopped  at  a  narrow  pass.  The  foot  path  is 
in  general  very  dirty,  from  the  almost  constant  nitration  of 
water  from  the  rock  above  ;  and  the  jolting  of  comers  and 
goers  so  constant  and  annoying,  that  none  but  those  who 
have  business  to  detain  them,  are  likely  to  spend  much  time 
in  the  lower  town. 

To  men  in  trade,  however,  this  is  the  nucleus  of  Quebec  ; 
the  Exchange,  the  Custom  House,  the  banking  offices,  with 
the  counting  houses,  stores,  and  granaries,  of  the  principal 
merchants,  are  all  collected  in  close  juxtaposition,  into  a  few 
narrow  streets,  or  lanes,  which  encircle  the  bottom  of  the 
rocky  precipice,  and  intervene  between  it  and  the  river. 
The  greater  part  of  the  ground,  upon  which  the  lower  town 
stands,  has  been  gained  by  encroachment  upon  the  channel 
of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  same  process  is  still  going  for 
ward  to  extend  the  habitable  limits. 

The  approach  from  the  lower  to  the  upper  town,  is  by 
Mountain  street,  as  it  is  most  appropriately  named,  lying  in 
a  kind  of  natural  cleft  in  the  brow  of  the  precipice.  This 
street,  after  crossing  for  a  time  the  face  of  the  hill,  like  a 
sheep  walk,  makes  an  angular  turn,  and  goes  right  up  the 
acclivity,  where  the  ascent  is  least  precipitous.  The  upper 
town  is  the  seat  of  government,  and  the  principal  residence 
of  the  military.  The  peculiar  situation  occasions  great  ir 
regularity,  and  unevenness  in  the  streets.  These  are  gener 
ally  well  paved.  The  breadth  of  the  principal  one  is  thirty- 
two  feet ;  that  of  others  only  from  twenty-four  to  twenty- 
seven  feet. 

Among  the  principal  buildings,  says  Lieutenant  Hall,  the 
Government  house,  or  Castle  of  St.  Louis,  may  take  prece 
dence.  It  occupies  the  site  of  an  old  French  fortress,  which 
covered  four  acres,  and  formed  nearly  a  parallelogram.  In 
1808,  seven  thousand  pounds  were  appropriated  for  its  re 
pair,  and  embellishment,  and  an  additional  sum,  at  a  subse- 
cjuent  period.  It  is  a  thin  blue  building,  which  seems  quiv 
ering  on  the  verge  of  the  precipice,  overlooking  the  lower 
town,  and  at  least  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  it.  Its 
front  resembles  that  of  a  respectable  gentleman's  house  in 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  29 


QUEBEC. 


England  ;  the  interior  contains  comfortable  family  apart 
ments.  For  occasions  of  public  festivity,  there  is  another 
building,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  court-yard,  much  re 
sembling  a  decayed  gaol.  The  furniture  is  inherited  and 
paid  for  by  each  successive  governor.  The  grand  entrance 
to  the  Chatteau  is  flanked,  on  one  side,  by  this  grim  moul 
dering  pile,  and  on  the  other,  by  stables,  with  their  appro 
priate  dung-hills.  There  is  a  small  garden  on  the  bank  of 
the  river,  commanding,  as  does  the  Chatteau  itself,  an  inter 
esting  view  of  the  opposite  shore  of  the  St.  Lawrence. 

The  public  buildings,  besides  the  Castle  of  St.  Louis,  are 
the  Hotel  Dieu,  the  Convent  of  Ursulines,  the  Monastery  of 
the  Jesuits,  now  used  for  barracks,  the  Cathedrals,  Catholic 
and  Protestant,  the  Scotch  Church,  the  lower  town  Church, 
the  Court  House,  the  Seminary,  the  new  Gaol,  and  the  ar 
tillery  barracks  :  there  are  also  a  Place  D'Armes,  a  Parade, 
and  an  Esplanade. 

The  Court  House  is  a  modern  stone  building,  one  hun 
dred  and  thirty-six  feet  by  forty-four,  with  a  handsome  and 
regular  front. 

The  Protestant  Cathedral  is  the  handsomest  modern  build 
ing  in  the  city.  It  is  built  of  stone,  and  is  one  hundred  and 
thirty-six  feet  long,  by  seventy-five  broad.  It  occupies 
ground  nearly  as  high  as  any  in  the  place,  and  is  seen  at  a 
great  distance. 

The  Catholic  Cathedral  is  likewise  built  of  stone  ;  is  two 
hundred  and  sixteen  feet  long,  and  one  hundred  and  eight 
broad.  It  is  full  of  pictures  and  images,  and  in  it  are  still 
displayed,  with  no  inconsiderable  degree  of  splendor,  the  en 
ticing  ceremonies  of  the  Romish  worship. 

There  are  several  charitable  Catholic  institutions  in 
Quebec  :  the  principal  of  these  is  the-'  Hotel  Dieu,'  founded 
in  1637,  by  the  Duchess  D'Aiguillon,  (sister  to  Cardinal 
Richelieu,)  for  the  poor  sick.  The  establishment  consists 
of  a  superior  and  thirty-six  nuns.  The  principal  building  is 
three  hundred  and  eighty-three  feet  long,  by  fifty  broad. 
This  establishment  is  highly  commended  for  the  humanity, 
comfort,  cleanliness  and  good  arrangement,  which  prevail 
in  it. 

The  Ursuline  Convent,  founded  in  1639,  for  the  education 
of  female  children,  stands  within  the  city.  It  is  a  square 
whose  side  is  one  hundred  and  twelve  feet. 

Mr.  Duncan  gives  the  following  account  of  a  visit,  which 


80  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

QUEBEC. 

he  made  to  this  convent  in  1819,  permission  having  been 
obtained  by  a  friend  for  that  purpose.  "  On  ringing  the 
bell  for  admittance,  three  nuns  made  their  appearance,  to 
whom  we  handed  the  order  for  our  admittance.  They  told 
us,  however,  that  the  Pere  D —  was  that  moment  in  the 
chnpel,  hearing  confession,  and  that  they  should  be  obliged 
to  detain  us  without,  till  he  returned. 

11  In  a  few  minutes  his  reverence  made  his  appearance, 
having  entered  the  convent  by  a  private  passage;  the  door 
was  then  unlocked,  and  we  were  admitted.  The  Mere  Su- 
perieure  was  waiting  to  receive  us ;  a  jolly,  fresh  looking 
woman,  rather  above  the  ordinary  height,  of  a  dignified  car 
riage,  and  apparently  about  thirty-five,  or  forty  years  of  age. 
We  had  no  sooner  changed  bows  with  the  ladies,  than  the 
usual  question  was  put  to  me  by  the  Mere  Superieure, 
' Parlcz  vous  Francois,  Monsieur?1  Finding,  however, 
that  I  was  rather  lame  at  this,  she  frankly  waived  ceremony, 
and  addressed  me  in  English,  which  she  spoke  so  well,  that 
I  could  not  keep  from  suspecting  that  she  was  of  an  English 
family. 

"  We  were  conducted  first  into  the  room,  in  which  the 
nuns  hear  the  service  of  the  chapel ;  a  plain  apartment,  with 
an  altar  and  a  few  pictures.  From  it  we  were  taken  into  a 
kind  of  parlor,  where  all  the  rcligieuses,  except  those  who 
were  engaged  in  the  school-rooms,  were  waiting  to  receive 
us.  They  were  ranged  in  a  line  opposite  the  door,  and  im 
mediately  on  our  entering,  bowed  and  smiled  most  graciously, 
and  without  the  slightest  appearance  of  formality  or  demure- 
ness.  At  one  end  of  the  row  were  four  interesting  young 
creatures  wearing  white  veils  ;  these  were  in  their  noviciate, 
and  Pere  D —  informed  us  that  they  wore  the  white  veil  two 
years,  before  assuming  the  vows  and  the  black  one.  Beside 
them  were  three,  who  had  been  invested  with  the  black  veil 
only  a  few  weeks  before  ;  had  I  visited  Quebec  a  little  sooner, 
I  might  have  witnessed  the  ceremony,  for  it  is  always  public. 
I  was  told  that  these  three  were  only  from  eighteen  to 
twenty-four  years  of  age ;  they  seemed  not  at  all  dull,  but 
laughed  and  talked  as  good  humoredly  as  any.  The  four 
novices  seemed  to  be  the  only  demure  individuals  among  the 
whole  ;  they  bowed  to  us  like  the  rest,  but  relaxed  not  a 
muscle  of  their  countenance. 

"  The  dress  of  the  Ursulines  is  dismal  in  the  extreme. 
A  long  black  robe  of  bombasin  with  very  wide  sleeves;  a 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  31 

QUEBEC. 

black  veil  tied  round  the  forehead,  and  thrown  back  over 
the  shoulder;  a  piece  of  stiff  starched  linen  covering  the 
breast,  and  tied  down  by  strings  passing  under  the  arms ;  the 
forehead  hid  by  a  piece  of  linen,  which  covers  the  eyebrows, 
and  a  corresponding  bandage  brought  down  under  the  chin, 
so  as  to  conceal  the  ears  and  part  of  both  cheeks  : — all  that 
is  elegant  and  graceful  in  the  human  figure  is  thus  com 
pletely  concealed  ;  and  the  poor  creatures  are  in  shape  and 
color  not  very  unlike  so  many  walking  coffins.  Some  of 
them  wore  a  leathern  belt  at  the  waist,  with  a  rosary,  and 
cross  hanging  from  it.  The  dress  of  the  novices  differs  in 
nothing  from  that  of  the  others,  excepting  the  color  of  the 
veil :  which,  by  the  way,  is  not  made  use  of  to  conceal  the 
features,  but  is  in  all  cases  thrown  back  over  the  shoulders. 
The  aspect  of  the  nuns  was  more  interesting  than  that  of 
the  Soeurs  Gris  at  Montreal.  Some  of  the  young  ones 
might,  I  dare  say,  have  been  thought  pretty,  had  they  worn 
a  less  ghastly  dress;  a  few  of  the  others  had  something  of 
the  grandmother  aspect,  but  some,  and  the  Mere  Superieure 
in  particular,  had  pleasing  features,  and  lady-like  deportment. 

"About  half  a  dozen  of  the  nuns  accompanied  us  from 
room  to  room,  each  of  whom  showed  the  utmost  inclination 
to  enter  into  conversation  with  us.  We  saw  three  school 
rooms,  all  full  of  neatly  dressed  girls  at  their  tasks,  with  two 
nuns  in  each  as  teachers  ;  two  of  these  were  devoted  to 
children  of  the  poorer  classes,  who  are  educated  at  a  very 
small  annual  sum ;  the  other  was  for  the  daughters  of  those 
who  could  afford  to  pay  more  liberally.  Whenever  we  en 
tered,  the  whole  rose  from  their  seats  and  courtesied,  con 
tinuing  to  stand  still,  till  we  left  the  room.  In  passing  from 
one  room  to  another  we  were  conducted  through  a  pretty 
extensive  garden ;  the  wall  which  surrounds  it  is  not  high, 
and  were  the  sisters  disposed  to  make  off,  it  would  present 
no  serious  obstacle. 

"  From  the  schools,  we  were  conducted  to  the  kitchen, 
and  dining  hall.  The  kitchen  has  a  pump  well  within  it, 
and  the  chimney  is  of  ample  size,  somewhat  resembling  those 
of  an  old  baronial  castle.  The  dining  hall  is  floored  with 
bricks  of  an  octagon  shape,  and  covered  with  a  kind  of  red 
varnish,  which  they  told  us  was  cow's  blood.  Long  tables 
of  deal  surround  the  hall,  with  a  drawer  for  each  in-dividual, 
containing  a  knife,  fork,  and  spoon  ;  all  exceedingly  clean 
and  neat.  Two  of  the  nuns,  in  succession,  wait  upon  the 


32  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

QUEBEC. 

others.  Passing  through  a  gallery,  which  led  I  believe  to 
sleeping  apartments,  I  remarked  over  each  of  the  doors  an 
inscription  in  French;  over  one  of  them,  'Pour  un  moment 
dc  travail,  une  ctcrnite  de  rcposS  Before  taking  leave,  some 
little  ornaments  of  neatly  wrought  bark-work  were  exhibited 
to  us,  of  which  I  purchased  one  or  two. 

"  We  had  been  about  an  hour  within,  when  a  bell  rang, 
which  Pere  D —  gave  us  to  understand  was  the  signal  for 
our  departure.  The  nuns  conducted  us  to  the  door,  which 
I  attempted  to  open,  but  found  it  locked  ;  the  Superieure, 
before  producing  the  key,  joked  us  very  good  humoredly  at 
the  unusual  predicament,  in  which  we  found  ourselves.  The 
parting  was  as  courteous  and  polite,  as  could  well  be  ;  we 
did  not  indeed  shake  hands,  but  no  ladies  could  have  pro 
nounced  a  more  affable  and  unceremonious  '  Bon  jour, 
Messieurs  !  Bon  jour.'  ' 

Quebec  may  be  considered  the  "Gibraltar"  of  America, 
being  better  fortified  by  nature  and  art,  than  any  other  town 
on  the  American  continent.  These  fortifications,  Mr.  Dun 
can  thus  describes  : 

"  On  the  south  and  east,  the  precipice  of  rock,  on  which 
the  city  stands,  is  in  most  places  perfectly  inaccessible,  while 
the  more  practicable  points  admit  of  easy  and  effectual  de 
fence.  On  the  north,  the  banks  of  the  St.  Charles  are  low, 
shallow,  and  muddy  ;  effectually  securing  the  town  from  the 
approach  of  ships  of  war,  or  the  erection  of  hostile  works  ; 
both  of  which,  besides,  would,  in  this  situation,  be  under 
the  fire  of  the  batteries  along  the  brow  of  the  rock.  The 
only  vulnerable  point  is  on  the  west,  adjoining  to  the  Plains 
of  Abraham. 

"  The  citadel,  upon  the  highest  part  of  Cape  Diamond, 
may  be  said  to  be  the  nucleus  of  the  works,  which  have  been 
erected  to  protect  this  side  of  Quebec.  No  strangers,  unless 
by  very  rare  and  special  permission  from  the  highest  authori 
ties,  nor  in  general  any  but  the  military,  are  permitted  to 
enter  the  citadel.  I  understand,  however,  that  there  is  really 
nothing  extraordinary  to  be  seen.  Its  defences  are  of  the 
strongest  kind,  its  guns  of  the  largest  calibre  ;  and  magazines 
are  embraced  within  its  circuit,  which  might  enable  the  gar 
rison  tojnake  a  final  stand,  even  were  the  whole  range  of 

*  Duncan's  Travels. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  33 

QUEBEC. 

the  outer  works  reduced  by  an  enemy.  The  highest  point 
within  the  citadel  is  Brock's  battery,  which  was  erected 
during  the  last  war,  and  commands,  it  is  said,  all  the  works  on 
this  side  of  the  town.  From  the  citadel,  which  is  immedi 
ately  over  the  St.  Lawrence,  enormous  walls  cross  the  plain, 
extending  down  towards  the  St.  Charles.  These  walls  have 
all  the  additional  aid  of  outer-works,  ditch,  glacis,  and  cov 
ered  way.  Strong  bastions  project  at  intervals;  and  in 
whatever  direction  you  look,  heavy  cannon  converge,  so  as 
to  meet  the  assailant  at  every  turn,  both  with  a  direct  and 
cross  fire.  There  are  two  gates  on  this  side,  St.  John's  and 
St.  Louis's;  but  every  approach  to  them  is  fortified  with  such 
jealous  care,  that  one  cannot  conceive  a  possibility  of  their 
ever  being  entered,  but  by  consent  of  the  garrison.  The 
wall  at  each  gate  is  said  to  be  about  fifty  feet  in  thickness. 
Within  the  walls,  and  between  the  two  gates,  is  a  fine 
sloping  bank,  or  esplanade  of  considerable  extent.  Other  bat 
teries  and  lines  of  defence  are  continued  round  the  brow  of 
the  rock,  on  both  sides,  towards  the  lower  town  ;  but,  ex 
cepting  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Prescott  gate,  there  ap 
pears  to  be  comparatively  little  occasion  for  them.  Between 
this  gate  and  the  St.  Charles,  is  the  grand  battery,  command 
ing  the  bay  and  a  greater  part  of  the  harbor. 

"  Upon  the  whole,  Quebec  may  be  regarded  as  pretty 
nearly  impregnable.  The  walls  are  so  high  that  escalade  is 
hopeless;  so  thick,  that  a  breach  seems  impracticable;  and 
while  Britain  retains  its  naval  superiority  in  the  river,  block 
ade  is  out  of  the  question.  The  length  and  severity  of  the 
winter,  also,  act  as  a  powerful  auxiliary,  for  field  operations 
could  scarcely  then  be  carried  on.  I  have  heard  it  indeed 
said,  that,  in  the  winter  nights,  the  sentinels  on  the  ramparts 
are  relieved  every  fifteen  minutes,  so  overpowering  is  the 
intensity  of  the  cold." 

duebec  has  been  the  theatre,  at  different  times,  of  several 
interesting  and  important  military  operations. 

In  1759,  while  Canada  was  yet  in  possession  of  the  French, 
an  attempt  was  made  by  the  English  under  General  Wolfe, 
for  its  reduction.  The  place  was  at  that  time  strong  by  na 
ture,  and  fortified  by  art.  An  attempt  to  reduce  it  must 
have  appeared  chimerical  to  any  one,  but  to  Mr.  Pitt,  then 
prime  minister  of  England.  He  indeed  well  knew  the  dan 
ger  of  the  enterprise;  but,  at  the  same  time,  he  knew  the 

3 


WILLIAM   PITT,  EARL  OF  CHATHAM. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  35 

QUEBEC. 

qualifications  of  Wolfe,  as  leader  of  the  arduous  expedition. 
The  assistants  of  Wolfe,  Monckton,  Townshend,  and  Mur 
ray  were,  like  himself,  young,  ardent,  and  emulous  of  mili 
tary  glory.  Early  in  the  season,  he  sailed  from  Halifax  with 
8000  troops  ;  and  about  the  last  of  June  landed  the  whole 
army,  on  the  island  of  Orleans,  a  few  miles  below  Quebec. 
From  this  position,  a  near  and  distinct  view  could  be  taken 
of  the  obstacles  to  be  surmounted,  and  even  the  bold  and 
sanguine  mind  of  Wolfe  perceived  more  to  fear,  than  to  hope 
for,  in  the  enterprise. 

His  attention  was  first  drawn  to  Point  Levi,  on  the  bank 
of  the  river,  opposite  Quebec,  and  from  that  position  he 
cannonaded  the  town.  Some  injury  was  done  to  the  houses, 
but  his  cannon  were  too  far  distant  to  make  any  impression 
upon  the  works  of  the  enemy.  He  resolved  to  quit  this  post, 
and  to  land  below  Montmorency,  and,  passing  that  river,  to 
attack  the  French  General  in  his  intrenchments.  He  suc 
ceeded  in  landing  his  troops,  and  with  a  portion  of  his  army 
crossed  the  Montmorency.  A  partial  engagement  took  place, 
in  which  the  French  obtained  the  advantage.  Relinquishing 
this  plan,  he  then  determined,  in  concert  with  the  Admiral, 
to  destroy  the  French  shipping  and  magazines.  Two  at 
tempts  were  unsuccessful ;  a  third  was  more  fortunate ;  yet, 
but  little  was  effected.  Deeply  impressed  with  the  disasters 
at  Montmorency,  his  extreme  chagrin  affected  his  spirits, 
preyed  upon  his  delicate  frame,  and  at  length  brought  him 
to  a  sick  bed.  Before  he  had  sufficiently  recovered,  he  pro 
ceeded  to  put  into  execution  a  plan,  which  he  had  matured 
on  that  sick  bed.  This  was  to  proceed  up  the  river,  gain 
the  heights  of  Abraham,  and  draw  Montcalm  to  a  general 
engagement. 

The  difficulties  attending  this  enterprise  were  numerous. 
The  current  was  rapid,  the  shore  shelving,  the  only  landing 
place  so  narrow  that  it  might  easily  be  missed  in  the  dark, 
and  the  steep  above  such  as  troops,  even  when  unopposed, 
could  not  ascend  without  difficulty.  Yet  the  plan,  though 
bold  and  hazardous,  was  well  adapted  to  the  desperate  situa 
tion  of  affairs,  and  was  determined  on. 

"On  the  twelfth  of  September,"  observes  Professor  Silli- 
man,  "  one  hour  after  midnight,  General  Wolfe,  with  his  ar 
my,  leaving  the  ships,  embarked  in  boats,  and  silently  dropped 
down  with  the  current,  intending  to  land  a  league  above 
Cape  Diamond,  and  thus  to  gain  the  heights  of  Abraham. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  37 

QUEBEC. 

But  owing  to  the 'rapidity  of  the  current,  they  fell  below  their 
intended  place,  and  disembarked  at  what  is  now  called  Wolfe's 
'Cove,  a  mile,  or  a  mile  and  a  half,  above  the  city.  This 
operation  was  a  most  critical  one — they  had  to  navigate  in 
silence,  down  a  most  rapid  stream — to  hit  upon  the  right 
place  for  landing,  which,  in  the  dark,  might  be  easily  mis 
taken — the  shore  was  shelving,  and  scarcely  practicable,  even 
without  opposition.  Doubtless,  it  was  this  combination  of 
circumstances,  which  lulled  the  vigilance  of  the  wary  and 
observing  Montcalm  :  he  thought  such  an  enterprise  abso 
lutely  impracticable,  and  therefore  had  stationed  only  senti 
nels  and  picket  guards  along  this  precipitous  shore." 

No  one,  who  did  not  possess  the  resolution  and  daring 
spirit  of  Wolfe,  would  have  attempted  so  hazardous  an  ad 
venture.  On  reaching  the  shore,  Wolfe  leaped  from  the 
boat,  but  observing  the  forbidding  appearance  of  the  preci 
pice  full  of  rugged  projections,  he  whispered  to  an  officer, 
who  stood  by,  "  I  don't  believe  there  is  any  possibility  of  get 
ting  up,  but  you  must  do  your  endeavor."  Fired  with  the 
zeal  which  animated  their  commander,  the  troops  began  pull 
ing  themselves  up  by  means  of  the  boughs,  stumps  of  trees, 
and  projections  of  rocks.  It  was  an  hour  before  the  dawn 
of  day.  By  daylight  they  were  formed  and  in  perfect  prepar 
ation  for  battle. 

Montcalm,  at  first  could  not  believe  that  the  English  had 
ascended  the  heights.  When  convinced  of  the  fact,  he  com 
prehended  the  full  advantage  they  had  gained.  He  saw  that 
a  battle  was  inevitable,  and  prepared  for  it,  with  promptness 
and  courage.  Leaving  his  camp  at  Montmorency,  he  ad 
vanced  towards  the  English  army,  which  was  formed  in  or 
der  of  battle  to  receive  him.  The  French  advanced  briskly. 
The  English  reserved  their  fire,  until  the  enemy  were  near, 
and  then  gave  it  with  decisive  effect.  Early  in  the  engage 
ment,  Wolfe  was  wounded  in  the  wrist ;  but  preserving  his 
composure,  he  continued  to  encourage  his  troops.  Soon  af 
ter,  he  received  a  shot  in  the  groin.  This  painful  wound  he 
also  concealed,  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  grenadiers, 
and  was  leading  them  to  charge,  when  he  received  a  third 
and  mortal  wound.  Undismayed  by  the  fall  of  their  General, 
the  English  continued  their  exertions  under  Monckton,  who 
in  a  short  time,  was  himself  wounded,  and  the  command  de 
volved  upon  Townshend.  About  the  same  time  Montcalm 
received  a  mortal  wound,  and  the  second  in  command  also 


WOLFE'S  AKMY  ASCENDING   THE   HEWITTS  OF  ABRAHAM. 


DEATH  OF  GENERAL  WOLFE. 


40  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


QUEBEC. 


fell.  The  left  wing  and  centre  of  the  French  gave  way. 
Part  were  driven  into  Quebec,  and  part  over  the  river  St. 
Charles. 

On  receiving  his  mortal  wound,  Wolfe  was  conveyed  into 
the  rear,  where,  careless  about  himself,  he  discovered  in  the 
ao-onies  of  death,  the  most  anxious  solicitude  concerning  the 
fate  of  the  day.  From  extreme  faintness,  he  had  reclined 
his  head  on  the  arm  of  an  officer,  but  was  soon  aroused  by 
the  cry  of  "  They  fly,  they  fly!  "  "  Who  fly  ?  "  exclaimed 
the  dying  hero.  "  The  French,"  answered  his  attendant. 
"  Then,"  said  he,  "  I  die  contented  ;  "  and  immediately  ex 
pired. 

Montcalm  survived  long  enough  to  write  a  letter  with  his 
own  hand  to  the  English  General,  recommending  the  French 
prisoners  to  his  humanity.  When  informed  that  his  wound 
was  mortal,  he  expressed  his  satisfaction,  that  he  should  not 
live  to  see  the  fall  of  Quebec.  Five  days  after  the  battle, 
the  city  surrendered. 

All  the  incidents  of  the  battle  were  distinctly  seen  from 
the  walls  of  Quebec.  It  was  a  thrilling  scene.  More  than  a 
thousand  French  in  an  hour  or  two  fell  on  this  field  of  car 
nage,  either  killed,  or  wounded.  The  killed  and  wounded 
of  the  English  were  about  half  of  this  number. 

What  melancholy  reflections  are  excited  by  such  horrors 
of  war!  What  bitterness  of  spirit — what  deadly  revenge,  in 
the  bosoms  of  contending  armies!  While  we  admire  the 
military  enthusiasm  arid  intrepidity  of  generals  and  soldiers,  in 
such  a  scene  as  this,  who  does  not  mourn  over  such  needless 
waste  of  life  ?  Who  does  not  feel  his  heart  sink,  at  the  ex 
ultation  of  the  dying  hero  over  the  death  of  his  foes,  in  the 
moment  that  he  was  ascending  to  the  tribunal  of  God  ?  Hap 
py  that  day  for  the  world,  when  the  confused  noise  of  the 
battle  of  the  warrior  will  be  heard  no  more,  and  garments 
shall  no  more  be  seen  rolled  in  blood.  No  undue  censure  is 
designed  to  be  cast  upon  Wolfe,  Montcalm,  or  the  soldiers 
under  their  command;  but  only  to  pour  forth  that  regret, 
which  the  heart  of  tenderness  feels  in  the  view  of  the  need 
less  death  in  the  field  of  battle  of  those,  who,  by  their  talents 
and  influence  were  pre-eminently  fitted  for  the  advancement 
of  the  best  interests  of  men,  and  the  diffusion  of  the  peacea 
ble  religion  of  Christ. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  Revolutionary  war  of  the  United 


GENERAL  M01S7TGOMERY. 


42  TRAVELS  AND    SKETCHES 

QUEBEC. 

States  with  Great  Britain,  Quebec  was  again  the  scene  of 
military  operations.  General  Richard  Montgomery,  who  had 
fought  with  Wolfe  in  the  battle  of  Quebec  in  1759,  had,  af 
ter  that  event,  taken  up  his  residence  in  the  colony  of  New 
York  ;  and,  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  had  espoused 
the  American  cause.  In  1775,  he  was  appointed  a  general 
in  the  Northern  army  ;  and,  on  the  indisposition  of  General 
Schuyler,  took  the  chief  command.  Soon  after  this,  he  re 
duced  several  forts,  and  took  possession  of  Montreal.  On  re 
ceiving  the  submission  of  tins  latter  place,  he  pushed  on  to 
wards  Quebec. 

In  the  mean  time,  Colonel  Arnold  had  been  detached  from 
the  camp  before  Boston,  at  the  head  of  1,000  men,  with  or 
ders  to  march  on  Quebec,  by  way  of  the  river  Kennebec. 
Through  an  unexplored  route  of  300  miles — through 
swamps  and  woods,  over  mountains  and  precipices,  and  amid 
hardships  and  trials  of  a  most  uncommon  character,  did  this 
general,  and  his  resolute  troops  work  their  way  ;  and,  at  the 
expiration  of  thirty-one  days,  encamped  on  the  southern 
banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  opposite  Quebec. 

The  sudden  and  unexpected  appearance  of  such  a  hostile 
force  threw  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  into  great  alarm  ;  and 
could  Arnold  have  crossed  the  river  immediately,  it  would 
probably  have  fallen  into  his  hands.  Boats,  however,  were 
not  in  readiness,  and  several  days  were  consumed,  in  pre 
paring  a  sufficient  number.  At  length,  he  made  the  passant; 
— ascended  the  heights  of  Abraham,  at  the  spot  where  Wolfe 
and  his  enthusiastic  troops  had  ascended  before  'him.  The 
inhabitants  and  garrison  of  Quebec  had  had  time  to  recover 
their  courage,  and  to  put  the  city  in  a  state  of  defence.  To 
Arnold's  summons  to  surrender,  the  only  reply  was  a  firing  at 
his  flags.  Being  in  no  condition  to  undertake  a  siege,  he 
withdrew  his  troops  twenty  miles  up  the  river,  and  awaited 
the  arrival  of  Montgomery. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  latter — their  united  forces  not  ex 
ceeding  a  thousand  men — a  descent  was  again  made  upon  the 
city.  But  their  artillery  made  no  impression  upon  the  fortifi 
cations,  and  a  whole  month  was  spent  without  any  success. 
In  this  state,  it  was  determined  to  make  an  assault.  "  The 
American  camp  was  on  the  plains  of  Abraham.  Four  points 
of  attack  were  agreed  on — iwo  feints  against  the  walls  of  the 
upper  town,  one  at  St.  John's  gate,  and  the  other  near  a  cit 
adel,  while  two  real  assaults  were  to  be  directed  against  two 


44  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

QUEBEC. 

other  points,  both  in  the  lower  town,  but  situated  on  opposite 
sides. 

"  General  Arnold  led  a  party  from  the  plains  of  Abraham, 
around  by  the  river  Charles,  and  assaulted  the  lower  town, 
on  that  side.  In  the  mean  time,  General  Montgomery  ap 
proached  under  Cape  Diamond. 

"  The  pass  at  the  foot  of  Cape  Diamond  was  probably, 
then,  much  narrower  and  more  difficult  than  at  present. 
The  attempt  was  made  at  five  o'clock,  on  the  morning  of 
December  31,  1775,  in  the  midst  of  a  Canadian  winter,  and 
of  a  violent  snow-storm,  and  of  darkness.  The  path,  narrow 
and  difficult  at  best,  was  then  so  much  obstructed  by  enor 
mous  masses  of  ice,  piled  on  each  other,  as  to  render  the 
way  almost  impassable.  Montgomery's  party  were  therefore 
obliged  to  proceed  in  a  narrow  file,  till  they  reached  a  pick 
eted  block-house,  which  formed  the  first  barrier.  The  Gen 
eral  assisted  with  his  own  hands,  in  cutting  down  and  re 
moving  the  pickets,  and  the  Canadian  guards,  stationed  for 
its  defence,  having  thrown  away  their  arms,  fled,  after  a 
harmless  random  fire.  The  next  barrier  was  much  more  form 
idable  ;  it  was  a  small  battery,  whose  cannon  w  ere  loaded 
with  grape  shot,  and  as  General  Montgomery,  with  Captains 
Cheesman  and  Macpherson,  the  latter  of  whom  was  his  aid, 
and  others  of  the  bravest  of  his  party,  were  pressing  forward 
towards  this  barrier — a  discharge  of  grape  shot  killed  the 
General,  and  most  of  those  near  his  person,  and  terminated 
the  assault  on  that  side  of  the  town.  It  is  said  that  this  sec 
ond  barrier  had  also  been  abandoned,  but  that  one  or  two 
persons  returning  to  it,  seized  a  slow  match,  and  applied  it 
to  the  gun,  when  the  advancing  party  were  not  more  than  for 
ty  yards  from  it.  This  occurrence  has  been  sometimes  dif 
ferently  related.  Some  American  gentlemen  who  were  at 
Quebec  about  sixteen  years  since,  saw  a  man,  who  asserted 
that  he  was  the  person,  who  touched  off  the  cannon,  and  what 
is  very  remarkable,  he  was  a  New  Englander.  He  related 
that  the  barrier  was  abandoned,  and  the  party  who  had  been 
stationed  at  it  were  in  full  flight ;  but  as  it  occurred  to  him, 
that  there  was  a  loaded  cannon,  he  turned  and  discharged  it 
at  random,  and  then  ran."* 

On  the  fall  of  Montgomery,  signals  were  made  to  Arnold's 
party,  by  means  of  rockets,  that  all  was  lost.     On   the  re- 

*  S  ill  i  man' s  Tour  to  Quebec. 


46  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

MONTREAL. 

turn  of  light,  the  body  of  General  Montgomery  was  found, 
and  near  him  one  of  his  aids,  with  several  other  distinguished 
officers,  besides  privates,  either  killed  or  wounded. 

The  death  of  Montgomery  was  deeply  lamented,  both  in 
Europe  and  America.  All  enmity  to  him  seemed  to  expire 
with  his  life,  and  the  respect  to  his  private  character  pre 
vailed  over  all  other  considerations ;  his  dead  body  received 
every  possible  mark  of  distinction  from  the  victors,  and  was 
interred  in  Quebec,  with  all  the  military  honors  due  to  a 
brave  soldier.  Congress  directed  a  monument  to  be  erected 
to  his  memory,  expressive  of  their  sense  of  his  high  patriot 
ism,  and  heroic  conduct.  This  monument  stands  in  front  of 
St.  Paul's  Church  in  the  city  of  New  York.  In  1818,  at 
the  expense  of  that  State,  his  remains  were  removed  to  that 
city,  and  now  repose  near  the  monument. 


MONTREAL. 

From  Quebec  to  Montreal,  the  distance  is  180  miles. 
The  customary  mode  of  travelling  between  these  two  cities 
was  until  within  a  few  years  by  means  of  Calashes,*  along 
the  bank  of  the  river,  where  there  was  a  regular  establish 
ment  of  post  houses,  under  government  regulation.  The 
usual  mode  of  conveyance  now  is  by  means  of  steamboats, 
which  will  probably,  as  they  carry  goods  as  well  as  passen 
gers,  soon  supersede  almost  entirely  the  arrival  of 'square 
rigged  vessels  at  Montreal.  The  fare  up  the  river,  it  is  believ 
ed,  is  usually  somewhat  higher  than  the  fare  down  the  river ; 

*  "  The  Calash  is  not  unlike  an  American  chaise  or  gig,  but  is  built 
much  stouter,  and  with  or  without  a  top ;  the  horse  is  much  farther  from 
the  body  of  the  rarri.-iirc.  and  this  allows  room  for  the  driver,  whose  seat 
rests  ou  the  front  or  foot  board  of  that  part  of  the  vehicle  in  which  we 
ride  ;  this  foot  board,  after  sloping  in  the  usual  manner,  then  rises  per 
pendicularly,  to  such  a  height  as  to  sustain  the  seat ;  high  sides  are  also 
furnished  to  the  part  where  the  feet  rest  in  a  common  chaise,  and  thus 
children  and  baggage  are  secured  from  falling  out.  The  calash  carries 
two  grown  persons  on  the  seat  within,  besides  the  driver,  who  is  often  a 
man  ;  his  seat,  and  the  board  which  supports  it,  fall,  by  means  of  hinges, 
when  the  passengers  are  to  get  in,  and  the  board  and  seat  are  then 
hooked  up  again  to  their  place  when  the  driver  mounts." — Tour  be 
tween  Hartford  and  Quebec. 


48  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

MONTREAL. 

the  difference  is  occasioned  by  the  increased  length  of  time, 
which  it  usually  requires  to  stem  the  current. 

Montreal  is  built  upon  an  island  of  the  same  name,  about 
32  miles  in  length.  The  site  of  the  town  was  originally 
fixed  upon  by  Jaques  Cartier,  who  in  1635,  or  '36,  first  sail 
ed  thus  far  up  the  St.  Lawrence.  It  was  then  occupied  by 
an  Indian  village.  The  city  was  begun  in  1640,  when  a  few 
houses  were  built.  The  place  was  originally  called  Villc 
Marie.  There  seems  however,  says  Mr.  Silliman,  to  have 
been  one  error  in  locating  the  future  city.  It  was  meant  to 
be  at  the  head  of  navigation  ;  it  is  literally  so  ;  and  ships 
can  go  up  to  the  very  city,  although  it  is  not  natural  to  do  it 
with  vessels  of  more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  tons.  Vessrls 
drawing  fifteen  feet  of  water,  can  lie  at  Market  gate,  high 
uj>  in  the  city  ;  the  general  depth  of  water  in  the  harbor  is  from 
three  to  four  and  a  half  fathoms.  Unfortunately,  however, 
the  rapid  of  St.  Mary,  at  the  extreme  end  of  the  town,  or 
rather,  near  one  of  its  suburbs,  is  so  powerful  an  obstacle, 
that  nothing  but  a  very  strong  wind  will  force  a  vessel 
through,  when  not  impelled  by  any  other  power. 

The  city  and  its  suburbs,  according  to  Mr.  Duncan,  ex 
tend  for  nearly  two  miles,  along  the  northern,  or  rather  the 
western  bank  of  the  St.  Lawrence  ;  for  the  course  of  the 
river  takes  a  bend  here,  and  runs  very  nearly  from  south  to 
north.  From  the  opposite  bank,  the  town  has  a  showy  ap 
pearance,  and  in  summer  the  circumjacent  scenery  is  ex 
ceedingly  beautiful.  Behind  and  to  the  left  of  the  city,  rises 
the  mountain,  from  which  it  originally  took  its  name  ;  not 
a  conical  eminence,  but  a  swelling  semicircular  ridge,  with 
its  concave  surface  towards  the  stream,  and  placed  like  a 
rampart  behind  a  city,  to  shield  it  in  winter  from  the  un 
kindly  blast.  A  dense  forest  covers  the  greater  part  of  the 
hill,  except  where  space  has  been  cleared  for  a  few  neatly 
built  mansion  houses,  whose  bright  tin  roofs  glitter  in  the 
sunbeams.  Behind  one  of  the  most  remote  of  these,  a  mon 
umental  column  rises  from  among  the  trees.  Between  the 
bottom  of  the  eminence  and  the  spires  of  the  city,  a  thin 
blue  smoke  ascends  from  part  of  the  suburbs,  which  the  sink 
ing  of  the  ground  conceals  from  view.  In  front  of  its  dark 
colored  outline  are  the  tall  masts  of  merchantmen  from  the 
Thames,  the  Mersey,  and  the  Clyde;  huge  steamboats  with 
double  chimneys  ;  river  craft  of  all  sizes ;  and  enormous 
rafts  of  timber.  In  the  middle  of  the  stream  reposes  the 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  49 


MONTREAL. 


island  of  St.  Helena,  encircled  by  a  group  of  smaller 
ones ;  while  the  unceasing  sound  of  a  small  rapid,  which 
surrounds  them,  falls  gently  on  the  ear.  To  the  right  and 
left  rolls  the  majestic  flood  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  about  two 
miles  in  width,  and  although  yet  five  hundred  miles  from  the 
ocean,  capable  of  floating  on  its  surface  vessels  of  six  or 
seven  hundred  tons  burden. 

The  city,  unfortunately,  does  not  gain  much  upon  you, 
by  a  nearer  inspection.  The  streets  are  for  the  greater  part 
most  inconveniently  narrow,  and  the  foot  walks  in  many 
places  encumbered  with  cellar  doors,  and  other  projections. 
The  dark  colored  limestone  of  which  the  houses  are  built, 
has  a  dull  effect,  and  the  massive  iron  shutters,  folded  back 
from  almost  every  window  and  door,  considerably  increase 
the  gloom.  The  bright  tin  which  covers  the  spires  and  roofs, 
has  decided  utility  to  recommend  it,  but  in  a  warm  sunshine  its 
reflection  is  painful  to  the  eyes,  and  at  all  times  it  has  an  air 
of  flaunting  vulgarity.  Blue  slate  harmonizes  much  more 
agreeably  with  the  azure  of  the  sky,  but  it  will  not  stand,  as 
I  have  been  told,  the  intense  cold  which  prevails  in  winter. 
The  tin  is  put  on  in  rows,  not  parallel,  but  obliquely  to  the 
eaves  of  the  house,  the  nails  which  fasten  it  are  carefully 
overlapped,  and  no  where  is  the  slightest  degree  of  rust  to 
be  seen. 

Between  the  older  part  of  the  city  and  the  mountain,  some 
wider  streets  have  been  laid  out,  which  will  greatly  improve 
the  general  features  of  Montreal ;  and  I  have  been  astonished 
to  observe  on  my  second  visit,  the  great  number  of  buildings 
which  have  started  up,  in  various  directions,  since  the  pe 
riod  of  my  first  visit.  The  town  is  obviously  increasing  with 
rapidity,  and  a  number  of  very  splendid  mansions  have  lately 
been  erected  on  the  slope  of  the  mountain,  which  would  be 
regarded  as  magnificent  residences,  even  by  the  wealthy  mer 
chants  of  the  mother  country. 

The  population  of  Montreal,  continues  the  same  author, 
notwithstanding  the  mixture  of  British  merchants,  has  still 
an  aspect  decidedly  French,  and  that  language  assails  your 
ear  in  every  quarter.  The  dress  of  the  lower  orders  is  some 
what  peculiar.  The  women  and  children  have  a  kind  of 
quaint  formality,  in  the  shape  of  their  clothes ;  the  men,  in 
place  of  a  hat,  wear  a  red  or  blue  nightcap,  of  a  thick  tex 
ture,  with  a  party-colored  worsted  sash  around  their  waist, 

4 


50  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


MONTREAL. 


and  shoes  fashioned  like  the  Indian  moccasins,  but  of  thick 
er  leather.  They  are  great  smokers,  and  seldom  to  be  seen 
without  a  small  black  pipe  in  their  mouths,  not  unlike  the 
Scotch  cutty.  The  politeness  of  the  common  people  is  quite 
characteristic  of  their  descent,  and  a  couple  of  carmen  can 
not  address  each  other  on  the  street  without  pulling  off  their 
caps,  and  "  Bon  jour,  Monsieur."  The  Romish  priests,  who 
are  seen  gliding  quietly  along,  are  habited  in  a  close  black 
robe,  buttoned  up  in  front,  with  a  small  scull-cap  under  an 
ordinary  hat,  and  the  lappet  of  a  small  black  band,  with  white 
edges,  depending  below  the  chin.  The  students  of  the  Sem 
inary  wear  a  long  blue  surtout,  with  seams  of  white  cloth, 
and  a  sash  of  colored  worsted  round  the  waist,  gathered  into 
a  knot  in  front. 

Besides  the  varieties  of  costume  to  which  I  have  alluded,  a 
few  Indians  are  almost  always  in  the  streets,  from  the  Caugh- 
nawaga  village.  Some  of  them  have  a  squalid  and  dirty  ap 
pearance,  but  others,  and  more  particularly  the  females,  are 
very  decently  attired  :  I  have  indeed  seen  some  of  them  with 
an  ample  mantle  of  fine  blue  cloth,  over  garments  of  India 
silk.  They  are  fond  of  silver  ornaments,  and  have  generally 
a  broad  ring  round  their  hats,  and  a  large  disk  perforated 
with  holes,  hanging  on  their  breast.  I  saw  a  group  the 
other  day  sitting  near  the  old  market,  one  of  whom  had  an  in 
fant  suspended  at  her  back,  strapped  down  like  an  Indian 
mummy  to  a  piece  of  board.  This  singular  cradle  has  a  pro 
jection  to  defend  the  child's  head,  and  is  adorned  with  col 
ored  cloth  and  beads.  I  have  seen  two  or  three  children 
swathed  in  this  way,  none  of  whom  seemed  at  all  impatient 
of  the  confinement. 

Of  the  merchants  of  Montreal,  I  believe  the  greater  pro 
portion  are  Scotchmen.  A  few  Englishmen  mingle  with 
them,  and  there  are  also  a  considerable  number  of  Ameri 
cans,  from  the  New  England  States,  who  are  distinguished 
by  characteristic  shrewdness  and  perseverance,  which  have 
made  the  natives  of  that  part  of  the  Union  so  noted,  through 
out  the  rest  of  the  country.  So  far  as  I  have  been  able  to 
discover,  the  utmost  harmony  prevails  between  them  and 
those,  who  are  by  birth  subjects  of  our  sovereign.  I  dined 
at  a  gentleman's  house  who  had  thus  become  voluntarily 
subject  to  the  laws  of  our  native  country ;  he  said  that  he 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  51 


MONTREAL. 


could  not  discover  that  his  liberty  had  been  at  all  abridged  by 
the  change.* 

Montreal  possesses  a  few  public  buildings,  civil,  military, 
and  ecclesiastical ;  the  neatest  of  which,  for  none  of  them 
can  be  called  elegant,  are  the  new  Court  House  and  the  Gaol. 
Behind  the  Court  House  is  the  Champ  de  Mars ;  a  very  level 
piece  of  ground  of  considerable  extent,  which  is  a  favorite 
promenade  in  the  summer  evenings,  and  the  principal  scene 
of  military  displays.  Opposite  to  the  Gaol,  is  a  monument  to 
the  memory  of  Lord  Nelson,  consisting  of  a  Doric  column, 
springing  from  a  square  pedestal,  and  surmounted  with  a  statue 
of  the  Admiral.  Upon  the  four  sides  of  the  pedestal  are  bas 
so-relievo  representations  of  his  principal  achievements,  sur 
rounded  with  inscriptions  and  allegorical  figures.  The  col 
umn  is  of  stone,  the  statue  and  bas-reliefs  of  composition. 
It  stands  at  the  top  of  a  pretty  steep  street,  at  right  angles  to 
the  river.  His  lordship  looks  towards  the  river,  because  the 
best  view  of  the  monument  is  obtained  from  the  bottom  of 
the  declivity  ;  but  it  unfortunately  happens  that  the  principal 
street  of  the  city  passes  behind  him,  and  he  has  consequently 
turned  his  back  upon  it,  and  all  it  contains. 

The  Episcopal  Church,  a  recent  erection,  was  intended 
to  be  a  splendid  one,  with  a  towering  spire ;  but  the  where 
withal  was  exhausted  ere  the  spire  grew  up ;  and  for  the 
present,  a  covering  of  boards  serves  to  indicate  where  it  is 
intended  to  be. 

The  Hotel  Dieu,  founded  in  1644,  is  three  hundred  and 
twenty-four  feet  in  front,  by  four  hundred  and  sixty-eight 
deep ;  it  is  attended  by  thirty-six  nuns,  who  administer  to  the 
sick  and  diseased  of  both  sexes. 

The  Convent  of  La  Congregation  de  Notre  Dame,  forms 
a  range  of  buildings,  two  hundred  and  thirty-four  feet  in 
front,  by  four  hundred  and  thirty-three  :  the  object  of  this 
institution  is  female  instruction. 

The  General  Hospital,  or  Convent  of  the  Grey  Sisters,  was 
founded  in  1750  :  it  occupies  a  space  along  the  little  river 
St.  Pierre,  of  six  hundred  and  seventy-eight  feet,  and  is  a 
refuge  for  the  infirm  poor  and  invalids. 

The  Cathedral  of  Notre  Dame  is  one  hundred  and  forty- 
four  feet  by  ninety-four  ;  this  church  we  thought  in  some 
respects  more  splendid  in  the  interior,  but  less  grand,  than 

*  Duncan's  Travels. 


52  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


MONTREAL. 


that  at  Quebec.  It  contains,  among  other  things,  a  gigantic 
wooden  image  of  the  Saviour  on  the  cross.  The  Cathedral 
stands  completely  in  the  street  of  Notre  Dame,  across  the 
Place  D'Arms,  and  entirely  obstructs  the  view  up  and  down 
the  street.  This  church  is,  on  the  outside,  rude  and  un 
sightly. 

The  Seminary  of  St.  Sulspice,  occupies  three  sides  of  a 
square,  and  is  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  feet  by  ninety, 
with  spacious  gardens.  It  was  founded  about  1657. 

The  new  College,  or  Petit  Seminaire,  is  in  the  Recollet 
suburbs  ;  it  is  two  hundred  and  ten  feet,  by  forty-five,  with 
a  wing  at  each  end  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  feet  by  for 
ty-five  ;  it  is  an  appendage  of  the  other  seminary,  and  de 
signed  to  extend  its  usefulness,  by  enlarging  its  accommoda 
tions. 

There  is  near  the  mountain  of  Montreal,  another  append 
age  of  the  seminary.  It  appears  to  be  about  a  mile  from  the 
town — it  is  a  considerable  stone  building,  surrounded  by  a 
massy  wall,  which  encloses  extensive  gardens,  &c.  This 
place  was  formerly  called  Chateau  desSigneurs  de  Montreal  ; 
but  now  it  has  the  appellation  of  La  Maison  des  Pretres.  It 
is  a  place  of  recreation,  resorted  to,  once  a  week,  by  both  the 
superiors  and  pupils  of  the  seminary. 

The  principal  French  Church,  according  to  Mr.  Duncan, 
is  open  throughout  the  whole  week,  from  an  early  hour  till 
late  in  the  evening;  and  a  number  of  Canadians  may  at  all 
times  be  seen  kneeling  and  offering  prayers  before  the  altars, 
of  which  there  are  four  or  five.  Around  the  sides  of  the 
church  are  several  confessionals,  where  you  see  others  upon 
their  knees,  whispering  through  a  grating,  behind  which  the 
priest  is  seated. 

"  The  external  appearance  of  this  church  is  exceedingly 
plain.  The  roof  and  spire  are  covered  with  tin  ;  and  a 
cipher  formed  by  the  letters  A  and  M,  appears  on  various 
places,  which  is  to  be  interpreted  '  Ave  Maria.'  The  inte 
rior  is  gaudy  and  glittering  in  the  extreme,  and  around  the 
walls  are  several  pictures,  a  few  of  which  are  apparently  of 
considerable  merit.  The  church  is  dedicated  to  the  Virgin 
Mary,  of  whom  a  pretty  large  statue  occupies  a  recess,  im 
mediately  above  the  principal  altar.  Encircling  this  altar 
are  four  fluted  Corinthian  columns,  supporting  a  semicircu 
lar  frieze  and  cornice,  from  which  springs  a  scroll  work, 
terminated  by  a  large  French  crown  ;  the  whole  glowing  in 


54  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


MONTREAL. 


Bright  green  and  gold.  Upon  the  altar  are  as  usual  a  cruci 
fix,  large  candlesticks,  and  boquets  of  artificial  flowers  ;  be 
fore  it,  suspended  from  the  roof,  is  a  small  oil  lamp,  which 
is  kept  perpetually  burning.  On  both  sides  of  the  elevated 
platform,  on  which  the  altar  stands,  are  seats  for  some  of  the 
higher  orders  of  clergy.  On  the  left  side,  considerably  ele 
vated,  is  a  huge  crucifix  of  barbarous  workmanship. 

"  I  have  frequently  stepped  into  this  church  to  see  what 
was  going  forward.  One  day  I  learned  that  two  new  bells 
were  to  be  placed  in  the  steeple,  and  that,  preparatory  to 
this,  they  were  to  be^baptized  !  This  was  a  sight  not  to  be 
missed,  and  I  accordingly  took  care  to  be  in  church,  at 
the  hour  appointed.  The  bells  were  suspended  near  the 
centre  of  the  church,  from  a  temporary  wooden  erection, 
and  near  them  were  a  table  and  some  chairs.  Soon  after  we 
had  assembled,  a  door  near  the  upper  end  of  the  church  was 
thrown  open,  and  forth  issued  a  procession  of  priests,  pre 
ceded  by  two  boys  in  white  robes,  carrying  a  pair  of  enor 
mous  candles,  in  candlesticks  of  corresponding  dimensions, 
and  two  behind  carrying  a  little  silver  vessel  of  oil,  and  water 
in  a  silver  vase.  The  priests  were  variously  attired,  some  in 
black,  others  in  white,  and  a  few  in  gorgeous  robes  of  silk 
and  gold. 

"  The  boys  placed  the  candlesticks  on  the  table  near  the 
bells,  and  the  priests  bestowed  themselves  in  the  chairs, 
around  the  table,  or  on  the  seats,  which  surrounded  the  prin 
cipal  altar;  prayers  were  then  chanted,  after  which  an  old 
ecclesiastic  in  white  ascended  the  pulpit,  and  addressed  the 
congregation,  in  a  pretty  long  French  oration.  My  knowl 
edge  of  the  language  was  too  limited  to  admit  of  my  fully  un 
derstanding  the  old  gentleman's  address,  but  I  was  informed 
by  those  who  did,  that  it  was  intended  to  impress  the  minds  of 
his  auditors  with  the  solemnity  of  the  approaching  cere 
mony  ;  and  I  doubt  not  that  he  thought  we  much  needed 
some  such  admonition,  for  the  aspect  of  the  congregation 
was  by  no  means  very  devout.  There  was  a  great  crowd 
present,  and  with  many,  as  with  myself,  curiosity  seemed  to 
be  the  most  active  principle,  for  they  scrambled  upon  the  tops 
of  the  pews,  and  pushed  one  another  so  tumultuously,  that 
the  old  priest  twice  slopped  his  address  to  rebuke  us,  and  on 
one  occasion  clapped  his  hands  very  angrily,  and  threatened 
to  suspend  the  ceremony.  I  must  in  justice  add,  that  a  great 
number  of  the  auditors  were  not  Canadians. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  55 


MONTREAL. 


"  Descending  from  the  rostrum,  he  was  invested  with  a 
robe  of  gaudier  colors,  and  having  pronounced  a  solemn  ben 
ediction  upon  the  water  in  the  vase,  he  dipped  a  brush  in  it 
and  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  upon  each  bell,  inside  and 
out,  accompanying  it  with  the  solemn  words,  *  In  nomine 
Patris,  et  Filii,  et  Spiritus  Sancte  !  '  Other  two  then  set 
to  work,  and  completed  what  he  had  begun,  brushing  the 
bells  all  over,  and  then  with  snow-white  towels  wiping  them 
dry.  Some  oil  was  then  consecrated,  with  which  the  sign  of 
the  cross  was  made  on  a  variety  of  places  on  each  bell,  and 
then  carefully  wiped  dry  with  a  little  cotton.  A  silver  cen 
ser  with  live  coals  was  next  produced,  into  which  some  in 
cense  was  thrown  ;  and,  after  being  waved  three  times  in  the 
air,  it  was  held  under  each  bell,  till  they  were  quite  filled 
with  the  odorous  fumes. 

"  Two  old  gentlemen  and  their  venerable  spouses  now 
came  forward,  and  one  pair  was  stationed  at  each  bell. 
These  were  the  godfathers  and  godmothers  of  the  new  mem 
bers  of  the  holy  church  ;  and  after  having  answered  some 
questions  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  priests,  they  had  the  honor 
of  bestowing  names  on  their  godchildren.  This,  it  seems, 
is  an  honor  which  is  much  coveted,  and  is  only  conceded  to 
those  who  are  able  and  willing  to  pay  handsomely  for  the 
distinction.  The  oldest  priest  now  took  hold  of  the  clapper, 
and  tolled  each  bell  three  times,  which  was  immediately  re 
peated  by  each  of  the  sponsors.  The  old  couples  now  pro 
duced  presents  for  their  bantlings ;  first  a  large  roll  of  linen 
for  each  bell,  which  was  swathed  round  it  by  the  officiating 
priests ;  then  rolls  of  crimson  silk,  one  of  which  was  rich 
ly  figured,  succeeded  by  laces  of  fringes;  and  the  whole  was 
bound  on  by  a  splendid  allowance  of  white  silk  riband.  The 
ceremony  was  now  wound  up  by  a  short  prayer  or  two, 
chanted  by  the  priests,  when  the  large  candlesticks  were 
again  elevated,  and  the  whole  fraternity  retired  as  they  had 
filtered." 

M'Culloch  regards  the  Roman  Catholic  cathedral,  opened 
in  1829,  as"  "superior  to  any  other  church  in  British  America. 
It  is  of  Gothic  architecture,  225  feet  in  length  by  134  feet  in 
breadth.  It  is  faced  with  stone,  and  roofed  with  tin,  and  has 
six  towers,  of  which  the  three  belonging  to  the  main  front  are 
220  feet  in  height.  On  the  roof  is  a  promenade,  76  feet  in 
length  by  20  in  breadth,  elevated  120  feet.  The  principal 
window  is  64  feet  in  height  by  32  in  breadth.  The  interior 


56  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


MONTREAL. 


is  capable  of  accommodating  between  10,000  and  12,000  per- 
sons,  who  may  disperse  by  numerous  outlets  in  five  or  six 
minutes.  It  comprises  seven  convenient  chapels  and  nine 
spacious  aisles." 

Montreal  is  the  centre  of  the  commerce  between  Canada 
and  the  United  States,  carried  on  by  Lake  Champlain  and  the 
Hudson  ;  and  not  only  is  it  the  resort  of  all  the  adjacent  coun 
try,  but  most  of  the  business  done  in  Quebec  is  carried  on  by 
branches  from  the  Montreal  houses.  In  1838,  98  ships,  of 
the  aggregate  burden  of  22,289  tons,  entered,  and  99  ships, 
burden  21,901  tons,  left  the  port;  and  the  amount  has  been 
considerably  augmented  since  that  time.  Formerly  this  city 
was  the  head-quarters  of  the  fur-trade,  but  its  interest  in  it  has 
greatly  declined.  It  has,  however,  iron  foundries,  distilleries, 
breweries,  soap,  candle,  and  tobacco  manufactories ;  several 
ship-building  establishments,  &c. ;  and  various  articles  of 
hardware,  linseed  oil,  floor-cloth,  &c.,  are  also  made  there. 

As  to  the  society  of  Montreal  and  the  style  of  living 
which  prevails,  strangers  are  very  likely  to  differ  somewhat 
in  their  opinions.  If  you  wish  to  enjoy  good  eating,  danc 
ing,  music,  and  gayety,  you  will  find  abundance  of  all.  If 
literary  society  is  your  choice,  you  will  discover  but  little; 
and  if  religious,  still  less.  I  was  particularly  struck  with 
the  extent  to  which  card  playing  and  the  dice  box  abound  ; 
they  seem  indeed  to  be  almost  the  only  resource  in  an  even 
ing  party,  if  it  is  not  professedly  a  dancing  one.  That  the 
citizens  of  Montreal  are  hospitable  and  kind  in  their  atten 
tion  to  a  stranger,  I  bear  my  willing  and  most  grateful  testi 
mony  ;  but  unless  the  traveller  is  prepared  to  enjoy  such  ex 
pedients  for  recreation,  he  must  lay  his  account  with  being 
occasionally  somewhat  singular  in  company.* 

During  the  war  of  the  Revolution  several  attempts  were 
made  upon  different  points  in  Canada,  by  the  Americans. 
In  November,  1775,  Colonel  Allen  and  Major  Brown  under 
took  an  expedition  against  Montreal.  Allen  found  boats 
ready  for  him  at  Longueville,  and  crossed  the  river  in  the 
night,  below  Montreal.  Here  Brown  was  to  have  joined 

*  Duncan's  Travels. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  57 

MONTREAL. 

him  with  his  troops,  but  missed  his  way,  and  Allen  was  left, 
with  a  small  force,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  city. 

It  was  just  sunrise.  The  murmur  of  the  city  was  heard 
at  a  few  miles  distance,  and  by  and  by  the  roll  of  the  Eng 
lish  drums  came  upon  the  ear.  The  Americans  now  saw 
that  they  were  discovered.  Before  long,  a  column  of  British 
infantry  came  marching  down  the  bank  of  the  river.  There 
was  an  almost  breathless  silence  in  Allen's  small  band,  as 
they  came  up.  Even  Allen  himself  stood  fast,  and  gazed  at 
them. 

"  To  the  boats  !  to  the  boats  !  "  cried  a  dozen  of  his  sol 
diers;  "there's  a  thousand  of  them."  "Silence!  every 
man  of  ye,"  roared  Allen,  brandishing  a  huge  horse  pistol, 
"  the  first  man  that  turns  his  back  upon  the  red  coats,  shall 
smell  gunpowder."  They  were  satisfied  with  this  arrange 
ment,  on  the  whole,  examined  their  rifles,  and  stood  ready 
for  the  onset. 

"  Stand  your  ground,  boys  !  "  shouted  Allen.  A  party  of 
British  soldiers  were  moving  towards  them  from  the  main 
body,  at  double  quick  time.  "  Let  them  come  !  "  cried  a 
tall,  fine  looking  hunter  at  his  side  ;  "  let  them  come  !"  He 
brought  his  rifle  to  his  eye  as  he  spoke. 

"  Fire  !  "  shouted  the  British  officer,  and  instantly  the 
hunter  dropped  dead  at  the  feet  of  Allen.  His  hardy  fol 
lowers  shrunk  back.  They  were  sprinkled  with  the  blood 
of  the  poor  hunter.  "  Fire  !  fire  !  "  shouted  Allen,  with  a 
voice  of  thunder.  They  fired,  and  a  hot  skirmish  com 
menced.  Several  of  the  English  fell,  and  several  of  the 
Americans  ;  others  fled.  Some  defended  themselves  behind 
rocks  and  trees.  Allen  was  at  last  left  alone,  surrounded, 
and  compelled  to  surrender.  He  brushed  a  few  tears  away 
for  the  fate  of  his  friend,  the  young  hunter,  and  marched  on 
with  the  English. 

He  was  kept  a  prisoner  more  than  two  years,  and  then 
was  exchanged  for  some  English  officer,  whom  the  Ameri 
cans  had  taken.  The  irons  put  upon  him  were  so  fastened 
about  him,  and  so  heavy,  that,  for  a  long  time,  he  could  lie 
down  only  on  his  back.  A  chest  was  his  seat  by  day,  and 
his  bed  by  night. 

He  was  sent  to  England,  to  be  tried  as  a  prisoner  of  state, 
not  as  a  fair  and  open  enemy,  but  as  a  rebel.  At  this  time, 
all  the  Americans  were  called  rebels,  and  the  English  used 


58  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

MONTREAL. 

to  speak  of  hanging  great  numbers  of  them,  when  the  war 
was  over. 

Allen  was  a  man  of  very  large  frame,  and  prodigious 
strength.  He  possessed  great  courage,  and  was  much  in 
clined  to  daring  enterprise.  His  reputation,  it  seems,  had 
gone  before  him  to  England  ;  and  he  was,  therefore,  kept  in 
very  close  confinement.  The  people  were  as  much  afraid 
of  him,  as  if  he  had  been  a  whale,  or  a  sea  serpent.  They 
sometimes  used  to  come  and  see  him  in  his  prison  ;  but  they 
were  very  shy,  and  if  he  so  much  as  turned  round,  they 
would  run  away  like  a  flock  of  startled  sheep. 


UNITED    STATES. 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


BOSTON. 

BOSTON,  the  largest  city  in  the  New  England  States,  and 
the  capital  of  Massachusetts,  may  boast  of  what  may  be 
called  in  America,  antiquity.  It  is  now  more  than  two  hun 
dred  years  old,  the  first  settlement  of  it  by  the  English 
having  been  made  in  the  year  1630.  The  place  was  called 
Shawmut  by  the  Indians,  and  Trimountain  by  the  English 
settlers.  The  name  Boston  was  given  to  it  by  Mr.  Cotton, 
its  first  minister,  who  came  from  Boston,  in  England.  For 
more  than  half  a  century  after  Governor  Winthrop  had  laid 
the  foundation  of  the  city  of  the  pilgrims,  Philadelphia  was 
a  forest ;  and  New  York  was  an  insignificant  village  long 
after  its  rival  had  become  a  great  commercial  town. 

The  latitude  of  Boston  is  42°  22'  23"  N.  and  longitude 
70°  58'  53"  W.  from  London.  It  is  situated  300  miles  south 
east  of  Montreal ;  300  north-east  from  Philadelphia,  and  436 
from  Washington. 

The  city  is  built  on  an  irregular  peninsula,  nearly  two 
miles  in  length,  at  the  bottom  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  and 
united  to  the  main  land  by  an  isthmus  more  than  a  mile  in 
length.  The  harbor  is  safe  and  commodious,  capable  of 
allowing  500  vessels  to  ride  at  anchor  ;  yet  the  mouth  is  so 
narrow  as  scarcely  to  admit  two  ships  abreast.  The  en 
trance  is  defended  by  two  forts.  The  town  has  outgrown 
the  limits  of  its  natural  position  ;  and  Charlestown  upon  an 
opposite  peninsula,  and  South  Boston  upon  the  main  land, 
may  be  regarded  as  integral  parts  of  the  city.  "  Circum 
scribed,  however,  as  they  are,"  says  Mr.  Duncan,  "  the  cit 

59 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  61 


izens  have  had  the  good  taste  to  reserve  a  park  of  upwards 
of  forty  acres,  upon  which  no  buildings  have  been  allowed 
to  encroach.  The  Mall,  as  this  is  called,  is  surrounded 
with  spreading  elrns,  and  is  the  finest  within  the  limits  of 
any  considerable  town  in  the  United  States."  This  obvious 
ornament  has  been  strangely  overlooked  in  the  larger  Amer 
ican  cities,  notwithstanding  the  abundance  of  elbow-room, 
which  all  of  them  enjoy.  The  streets  in  the  old  town,  with  a 
few  exceptions,  are,  according  to  Dr.  Dwight,  "  narrow, 
crooked  and  disagreeable.  The  settlers  appear  to  have 
built,  where  they  wished,  where  a  vote  permitted,  or  where 
danger,  or  necessity  forced  them  to  build.  The  streets 
strike  the  eye  of  a  traveller,  as  if  intended  to  be  mere 
passages  from  one  neighborhood  to  another, — the  result  of 
casualty,  not  of  contrivance," — just  like  a  European  city. 
Indeed,  almost  all  the  great  cities  in  the  world  have  been 
formed  in  a  similar  manner.  London,  Paris,  Amsterdam, 
Moscow,  Constantinople,  &,c.  are  all  principally  built  on 
wretched  streets  and  with  a  deplorable  confusion.  "  It  is 
remarkable,"  says  Dr.  Dwight,  "that  the  scheme  of  forming 
public  squares,  so  beautiful,  and  in  great  towns  so  conducive 
to  health,  should  have  been  almost  entirely  forgotten.  Noth 
ing  is  so  cheerful,  so  delightful,  or  so  susceptible  of  the  com 
bined  elegancies  of  nature  and  art.  On  these  open  grounds, 
the  inhabitants  might  always  find  sweet  air,  charming  walks, 
fountains  refreshing  the  atmosphere,  trees  excluding  the  sun, 
and,  together  with  fine  flowering  shrubs,  presenting  to  the 
eye,  the  most  ornamental  objects  found  in  the  country. 
Here,  also,  youth  and  little  children  might  enjoy  those  sports, 
those  voluntary  indulgences,  which,  in  fresh  air,  are,  pecu 
liarly  to  them,  the  sources  of  health  and  the  prolongation  of 
life.  Yet  many  large  cities  are  utterly  destitute  of  these  ap 
pendages ;  and  in  no  city  are  they  so  numerous,  as  the  taste 
for  beauty,  and  a  regard  for  health,  compel  us  to  wish." 

"  The  people  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,"  says  this 
learned  traveller,  "  to  a  great  extent,  live  in  hired  houses, 
which  have  been  erected  by  professional  builders ;  whereas, 
the  citizens  of  Boston  have  very  generally  lived  in  houses 
of  their  own,  which  each  individual  has  built  according  to 
his  own  taste  or  ability.  Many  of  the  modern  houses  in 
Boston,  however,  are  superior  to  every  other  American  city. 
Houses  of  stone  are  interspersed  in  great  numbers  through 


62  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

BOSTON. 


most  parts  of  the  town  ;  but  in  West  Boston,  and  still  more 
on  Mount  Vernon,  (the  modern  name  of  Beacon  Hill,)  they 
appear  to  peculiar  advantage.  Previously  to  1776,  the  lat 
ter  spot  was  almost  absolutely  a  waste.  In  that  year,  it  was 
purchased  by  three  Boston  gentlemen,  by  whom,  at  a  great 
expense,  the  ground  was  levelled,  its  steep  western  declivity 
cut  down,  and  a  field  of  nearly  thirty  acres  converted  into 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  building  grounds  in  the  world." 
In  splendor  of  building  and  nobleness  of  situation,  this  West 
End  of  Boston  is  not  "  within  many  degrees  of  a  rival"  on 
this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

Boston  struck  Mr.  Duncan,  as  having  altogether  more  of 
the  appearance  of  an  English  town  than  New  York,  Many 
of  the  buildings  are  of  a  fine  white  granite,  and  most  of  the 
others  are  of  brick.  The  streets  are  very  compactly  built  ; 
and  although  many  of  them  are  narrow  and  crooked,  all  ex 
hibit  a  degree  of  order  and  cleanliness,  which  will  in  vain  be 
looked  for  in  most  other  large  towns. 

On  a  finely  rising  ground  at  the  upper  part  of  the  Mall, 
stands  the  State  House,  a  building  of  humbler  pretensions, 
as  to  size  and  materials,  than  the  New  York  City  Hall,  but 
in  situation  and  architectural  outline,  greatly  superior.  It  is 
nearly  a  square ;  in  front  is  a  lofty,  projecting  colonnade  of 
the  Corinthian  order,  with  twelve  columns,  springing  from  a 
piazza  of  rusticated  stone,  but  unhappily  bearing  only  a  balus 
trade,  over  which  rises  a  small  attic  story  with  a  pediment  ; 
and  overtopping  all  is  a  large  circular  dome,  terminating 
with  a  small  square  lantern,  from  which  a  most  commanding 
view  is  obtained  of  the  surrounding  country.  In  a  niche 
erected  for  the  purpose,  on  the  lower  floor,  stands  Chantry's 
statue  of  Washington,  a  fine  specimen  of  sculpture  :  it  cost 
$16,000.  In  front  is  Boston  Bay,  studded  with  nearly  forty 
islands,  with  fortifications  and  a  lighthouse ;  the  shores 
which  surround  its  ample  basin,  advancing  and  receding 
with  most  capricious  irregularity,  and  forming  numerous 
capes  and  peninsulas,  on  one  of  the  largest  of  which  the  city 
stands.  The  vast  amphitheatre  round  the  bay,  exhibits  a 
country  richly  variegated  with  hill  and  valley,  immense  for 
ests  and  cultivated  ground,  and  sprinkled  with  above  twenty 
little  towns  of  snowy  whiteness,  among  which  a  dozen  of 
spires  may  be  counted.  "  The  view  from  the  dome  of  the 


IN  NORTH   AMERICA.  63 


State  House,"  remarks  a  writer,  "  is  said  not  to  be  exceeded 
by  that  from  the  Castle  Hill  of  Edinburgh,  or  that  of  the  Bay 
of  Naples  from  the  castle  of  St.  Elmo." 

Beside  the  State  House,  already  mentioned,  the  other  pub 
lic  buildings  of  Boston  are  such  as  we  might  expect  to  find 
in  a  place  abounding  in  wealth,  and  architectural  taste  and 
skill. 

The  greatest  drawback  to  Boston  has  been  the  want  of  a 
sufficient  supply  of  good  water.  The  aqueduct  company  for 
bringing  water  from  Jamaica  pond  in  Roxbury  began  opera 
tions  in  1795,  but  the  supply  from  this  source,  being  only 
50,000  gallons  daily,  was  inadequate  to  the  rapid  increase  of  the 
population.  Conflicting  interests  for  a  long  time  prevented 
any  improvement  in  the  facilities  for  obtaining  water.  But  at 
length  the  much  desired  result  has  been  reached.  Boston  is 
now  amply  supplied  with  water  from  Long  Pond,  in  Framing- 
ham,  now  named  Cochituate  Lake.  This  lake  now  covers  an 
area  of  659  acres,  and  drains  a  surface  of  11,400  acres. 

The  water  is  brought  in  an  oval  aqueduct,  laid  in  brick  with 
hydraulic  cement,  a  distance  of  fourteen  and  a  half  miles  from 
Cochituate  to  Brookline,  where  it  is  discharged  into  a  reservoir 
thirty  acres  in  area.  From  Brookline,  the  water  is  forced  by  its 
own  pressure  through  pipes  of  thirty  and  thirty-five  inches  in 
diameter  to  the  two  city  reservoirs,  one  on  Mount  Washington, 
and  the  other  on  Beacon  Hill.  These  two  reservoirs  will  yield 
the  city  of  Boston  10,000,000  of  gallons  a  day  of  the  best  water. 
The  entire  cost  of  construction  was  about  3,000,000  of  dollars, 
a  cheap  attainment  of  a  most  valuable  end. 

A  commodious  and  expensive  Custom  House  has  recently 
been  finished  by  the  United  States  government,  and  is  now 
occupied  for  business.  It  was  projected  prior  to  1840.  It  is 
said  to  have  cost  one  million  of  dollars.  On  the  north  end  of 
the  first  floor  of  the  building  from  its  entrance,  the  easterly 
side  is  the  office  of  the  Assistant  Treasurer — a  branch  of  the 
Sub-Treasury.  The  vault  for  the  reception  of  the  public 
funds  is  very  capacious  and  well  secured.  On  the  opposite 
side  of  the  same  projection  are  the  offices  of  the  Measurers 
and  Markers.  At  the  other  end  of  the  building  are  the  rooms 
for  the  Inspectors,  Weighers  and  Guagers.  A  wide  stairway 
from  each  side  of  the  entrance-hall  leads  to  the  office  in  the 
principal  story,  and  the  main  hall  or  rotundo.  On  the  north 
end  are  the  offices  of  the  Collector  and  Naval  Officer ;  at  the 
opposite  end  are  those  of  the  Surveyor  and  Public  Store- 


64  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


keeper.  In  the  Hall  the  principal  business  of  the  collecting 
department,  embracing  all  the  clerkships,  is  transacted :  there 
are  some  twenty  desks,  all  filled.  On  either  end,  are  the 
desks  of  the  Deputy  Collectors,  in  one  corner  is  the  Cashier, 
and  on  the  opposite  side  is  the  office  of  the  Registary.  The 
Warehouse  office  is  in  another  corner.  The  whole  number 
connected  with  this  Custom  House  is  about  125.  It  is  a  fine 
building,  and  does  great  credit  to  the  government.  It  is  al 
ready  predicted,  however,  that  it  will  in  a  few  years  be  alto 
gether  too  small  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  amount  of 
business  which  it  will  be  desirable  to  transact  under  its  roof. 

Boston  is  rapidly  increasing  in  wealth  and  population,  and 
the  communications  with  the  north  and  west  open  a  scene  of 
prosperity  which  has  seldom  been  witnessed  by  the  sea-ports 
of  the  old  world.  Its  enterprise  is  fast  gaining  upon  that  of 
the  great  commercial  metropolis  of  the  United  States. 

At  a  short  distance  from  the  Tremont,  stands  an  ancient 
edifice  called  the  Stone  Chapel,  with  its  square  tower  and 
massive  colonnade,  producing  a  noble  effect  by  the  simple 
dignity  of  its  architecture.  In  an  opposite  direction,  on 
the  same  street,  and  fronting  the  Mall,  is  St.  Paul's  Church, 
a  granite  edifice  in  the  Doric  style,  with  a  facade  of  free 
stone,  comprising  a  portico  of  six  pillars.  This  church  is 
one  of  the  finest  in  the  United  States;  the  simplicity  of  its 
exterior  is  peculiarly  striking.  The  stone  structure  on 
Church  Green,  with  its  octagonal  shape  and  tall  spire,  though 
of  a  fantastical  design,  has  its  admirers.  The  Park  Street 
Church,  at  the  head  of  the  Mall,  attracts  attention,  by  the 
height  of  its  steeple.  The  Old  South,  in  the  centre  of  a 
busy  district,  is  beheld  with  interest,  from  its  historical  asso 
ciations.  The  tower  of  the  Brattle  Street  Church,  still  ex 
hibits  in  its  front,  the  cannon  ball  shot  into  it  from  the  bat 
teries  of  the  besiegers,  in  1775. 

Trinity  Church,  in  Summer  street,  a  massy  structure  of 
rough  granite,  with  a  lofty  square  tower,  affords  a  grand  and 
imposing  specimen  of  mixed  gothic  architecture.  The 
Church  in  Bowdoin  street,  a  gothic  edifice  of  rough  stone, 
has  the  same  effect,  on  a  somewhat  smaller  scale. 

The  largest  building  in  the  city  is  Fancuil  Market,  a 
granite  structure,  two  stories  in  height,  and  536  feet  long. 
The  centre  has  a  dome,  and  at  each  end  is  a  portico  of  four 
columns,  each  of  an  entire  stone.  This  is  the  most  elegant 
market  in  the  United  States,  and  probably  in  the  world  ;  on 


PARK  STREET  CHURCH. 


TRINITY  CHURCH. 
5 


BOWDO1N  SQUARE  CHURCH. 


Tremont  House. 


Fanouil  Hall. 


Hospital. 


King's  Chapel. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  67 


either  hand  it  fronts  on  a  spacious  street,  one  65  and  the 
other  102  feet  in  width,  both  showing  a  solid  front  of  stone 
stores  of  uniform  height  and  appearance.  Old  Faneuil  Hall 
stands  west  of  this  spot  ;  it  is  a  lofty  brick  edifice,  and  the 
spacious  galleries  of  its  interior  still  witness  the  throngs  and 
the  oratory  of  popular  meetings.  Painting  and  repairs  have 
a  little  modernized  the  aspect  of  this  venerable  pile  The 
Old  State  House,  now  the  City  Hall,  is  another  relic  of  an 
cient  architecture,  and  the  scene  of  many  events  in  revolu 
tionary  history. 

The  wharfs  of  Boston  surpass  those  of  any  seaport  of 
the  United  States,  for  size  and  convenience.  Long  Wharf, 
at  the  bottom  of  State  street,  is  1,650  feet  long,  and  has  a 
line  of  lofty  brick  stores  nearly  its  whole  extent.  Central 
Wharf  is  1,240  feet  in  length,  150  wide,  and  contains  54  stores 
in  a  single  pile,  with  a  spacious  observatory  in  the  centre, 
where  telegraphic  signals  are  received  from  the  islands  in  the 
bay.  India  Wharf  has  a  double  row  of  stores,  six  stories  high  ; 
all  these  wharfs  have  spacious  docks,  and  wide  and  con 
venient  landings,  carriage  ways,  &c. 

The  Massachusetts  General  Hospital  is  a  beautiful  stone 
edifice,  much  commended  for  the  convenience  of  its  interior 
arrangements.  The  Houses  of  Industry  and  Correction,  on 
the  peninsula  of  South  Boston,  but  within  the  city  limits,  are 
of  stone,  each  220  feet  long,  and  of  an  uniform  architecture. 
The  new  Court-house,  constructed  of  hewn  Quincy  granite, 
is  176  feet  long,  54  feet  wide,  and  57  feet  high ;  and  the  north 
and  south  fronts  are  adorned  with  Grecian  Doric  porticoes,  of 
four  columns,  which  weigh  25  tons  each.  The  interior  has 
four  court-rooms,  each  50  by  40  feet,  besides  various  public 
offices. 

An  elegant  Merchants'  Exchange,  with  a  fine  reading- 
room,  has  been  recently  erected  in  State  street ;  and  besides 
accommodations  for  the  post  office,  and  for  several  insurance 
and  brokers'  offices,  affords  many  conveniences  for  the  mer 
cantile  community. 

Within  a  few  years,  the  business,  wealth  and  population 
of  Boston  have  been  greatly  augmented  by  reason  of  the 
several  Railroads  which  enter  it  at  various  points,  especially 
the  Great  Eastern  and  Western  Railroads. 

The  population  of  Boston  in  1851  was  136,781,  and  has 
since  been  rapidly  increasing. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  69 


Until  1821,  Boston  retained  the  denomination  of  a  town, 
and  continued  to  be  governed  by  a  body  of  selectmen,  ac 
cording  to  the  ancient  New  England  custom.  Since  that 
period,  it  has  had  a  city  government,  consisting  of  a  Mayor, 
eight  Aldermen,  and  a  Common  Council  of  forty-eight  mem 
bers,  all  chosen  annually  in  January.* 

Boston  is  honorably  pre-eminent  in  the  number  of  its  lit 
erary  and  educational  institutions.  The  public  schools  are 
maintained  by  a  tax  ;  and  as  every  person  has  a  right  to  send 
his  children  to  these  establishments,  the  poor  obtain  educa 
tion  almost  gratis.  The  rich  mostly  prefer  sending  their 
children  to  private  academies.  The  public  schools  are  un 
der  the  inspection  of  a  committee  of  gentlemen,  annually 
chosen,  whose  duty  it  is  to  visit  them  once  in  three  months. 
"  The  Bostoniahs  are  very  proud,  and  perhaps  justly  so,"  re 
marks  Captain  Basil  Hall,  "  of  this  system  of  public  instruc 
tion."  Boston  is  rich  in  public  libraries,  among  which  that  of 
the  Athenaeum,  a  literary  institution  incorporated  in  1817, 
claims  pre-eminence.  In  works  on  American  history,  the  col 
lection  is  said  to  be  unrivalled.  A  museum  is  attached  to  it. 
The  other  literary  societies  of  Boston  are  the  American 
Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences ;  the^American  Antiquarian 
Society  ;  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society  ;  the  Massa 
chusetts  Historical  Society  ;  and  the  Massachusetts  Agri 
cultural  Society.  Its  charitable  associations  are  not  less 
numerous.  Among  these  are  a  Bible  Society  for  Massachu 
setts;  several  Missionary  Societies;  an  Institution  for  the 
relief  of  the  widows  and  children  of  deceased  ministers:  a 
Humane  Society  for  the  relief  of  distressed  seamen  ;  and  a 
Female  Asylum. 

Harvard  College,  although  situated  in  Cambridge,  three 
miles  from  Boston,  is  so  naturally  associated  with  the  capi 
tal,  that  we  shall  speak  of  it  in  this  place.  It  is  the  most  an 
cient,  and  most  amply  endowed  collegiate  institution  in  the 
Union.  The  foundation  of  it  was  laid  in  the  year  1636,  by 
the  appropriation  of  =£400  for  the  purpose  of  a  public  school, 
by  the  General  Court  of  the  infant  colony.  In  1638,  the 
Rev.  John  Harvard,  of  Charlestown,  bequeathed  to  it  one 
half  of  his  property,  amounting  to  nearly  c£800.  The  institu- 

*  Goodrich's  Universal  Geography. 


70  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


tion  was  now  dignified  with  the  name  of  Harvard  College  ; 
and  the  town,  which  had  hitherto  been  called  Newtown,  was 
named  Cambridge,  in  honor  of  that  seat  of  science  in  Eng 
land,  at  which  a  great  number  of  the  principal  colonists  had 
received  their  education.  Thus,  remarks  Dr.  Dwight,  "  with 
in  ten  years  after  the  little  flock,  which  commenced  the  set 
tlement  of  Massachusetts,  landed  at  Salem,  and  within 
eighteen  years  after  the  first  foot  was  set  on  the  shore  of 
Plymouth,  a  college  was  endowed  by  them  and  established.". 
In  1050,  the  first  charter  was  granted  by  a  General  Court, 
constituting  the  President  and  Fellows  of  the  College  a  cor 
porate  body.  This  charter  was  confirmed  by  the  Constitution 
of  the  State,  when  the  style  of  "  the  University  in  Cam 
bridge,"  was  first  legally  given.  The  professorships  of  divinity 
and  of  mathematics  and  natural  philosophy  were  founded  by 
Mr.  Thomas  Hollis,  a  merchant  of  London,  1722  and  1726; 
that  of  Hebrew,  by  the  Hon.  Thomas  Hancock,  an  emine*nt 
merchant  of  Boston,  in  1765.  Other  professorships  have 
been  added,  from  time  to  time,  by  subsequent  benefactors. 
They  now  amount  to  upwards  of  twenty,  including  the  Med 
ical  Department,  which  is  an  integral  part  of  the  Institution ; 
although,  for  the  greater  convenience  of  medical  students, 
it  occupies  buildings  yi  Boston.  The  University  now  com 
prises  five  colleges,  and  a  new  hall,  (erected  in  1814,  at  the 
expense  of  nearly  ,£17,000,)  containing  the  chapel,  lecture 
rooms,  dining  rooms,  and  kitchen  :  this  hall,  which  is  of  fine 
white  granite,  is  reckoned  the  handsomest  building  in 
Massachusetts.  The  building  stands  in  an  enclosed  plain, 
fourteen  acres  in  extent,  sheltered  on  three  sides  by  forest 
trees,  and  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  an  extensive  common. 
The  library,  containing  upwards  of  40,000  volumes,  is  the 
best  in  the  United  States.  The  philosophical  apparatus  is 
also  valuable.  The  museum  has  been  enriched  by  a  collec 
tion  of  mineralogical  specimens,  principally  presented  by  Dr. 
Letsom  of  London,  and  the  Paris  Committee  of  Public  Safety. 
There  is  also  a  valuable  collection  of  anatomical  wax  models, 
the  workmanship  of  Italian  artists.  The  academical  course 
is  completed  in  four  years. 

'  The  literary  and  scientific  reputation  of  Harvard  Uni 
versity,"  says  Mr.  Duncan,  "  stands  very  high;  and  except 
Yale  College,  none  in  this  country  can  contest  with  it  the 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  71 


pre-eminence."  Its  means  of  usefulness  have  recently  been 
materially  augmented  by  the  establishment  of  additional  pro 
fessorships,  for  which  liberal  provision  has  been  made. 

Mount  Auburn  Cemetery  also  belongs  to  Boston,  being  a  place 
of  burial  for  such  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  capital  as  are  dis 
posed  by  purchase  to  become  interested  in  it.  It  is  on  the 
western  line  of  Cambridge,  stretching  into  Watertown,  and 
nearly  four  and  a  half  miles  westerly  of  north  of  the  city. 
It  was  consecrated  as  a  place  of  repose  for  the  dead,  with 
appropriate  ceremonies,  September  24th,  1831. 

The  lot  originally  comprised  seventy-two  acres,  but  by  an 
after  purchase  was  increased  to  one  hundred  and  ten  acres. 
The  entrance  on  the  north  front  of  the  cemetery  is  through 
a  massive  gate-way,  taken  from  an  Egyptian  model,  and 
chiseled  in  a  very  superior  manner  from  Quincy  granite,  and 
cost  ten  thousand  dollars.  The  whole  length  of  the  north 
line  has  an  imposing  cast-iron  fence,  erected  at  a  cost  of  fif 
teen  thousand  dollars. 

The  highest  mound  in  the  cemetery  is  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  feet  above  the  level  of  the  river  Charles,  which 
meanders  along  its  south-eastern  boundary ;  on  this  mound  it 
is  the  design  to  erect  a  tower  sixty  feet  high,  which  will  afford 
an  interesting  position  for  an  extended  view  of  the  surrounding 
scenery  : — it  being  then  at  an  elevation  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty-five  feet. 

The  land  is  excellent,  clothed  with  a  fine  growth  of  trees, 
and  beautifully  undulated  with  a  constant  succession  of  hill 
and  dale,  affording  quiet  retreats  and  pleasant  look-outs.  The 
paths  are  laid  out  in  involving  lines,  which  constitutes  one  of 
its  most  pleasing  arrangements.  It  is  one  of  the  most  inter 
esting  spots  of  public  utility  and  beauty  about  the  city, 
for  the  stranger  to  look  on,  or  the  reflecting  mind  of  man  to 
dwell  upon.  Here  repose  the  remains  not  only  of  many  of 
the  eminent  citizens  of  Boston  and  vicinity,  but  of  distinguished 
strangers,  who  have  fallen  in  their  midst.  Among  the  latter 
may  be  mentioned  the  name  of  one  familiar  to  all — the  cele 
brated  phrenologist  Dr.  Spurzheim,  over  whose  dust  the 
liberal  and  philanthropic  hand  has  erected  a  chaste,  yet  beau 
tiful  and  enduring  monument. 

The  first  person  interred  in  this  ground  was  the  amiable 
Hannah  Adams.  A  neat  monument  has  been  erected  to  her 
memory,  on  which  is  the  following  inscription : 


72  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

BOSTON. 

TO 

HANNAH  ADAMS, 
HISTORIAN  OF  THE    JEWS, 

AND 

REVIEWER  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  SECTS, 

THIS  MONUMENT  IS  ERECTED 

BY  HER  FEMALE  FRIENDS. 

FIRST    TENANT 

OF  MOUNT    AUBURN. 

SHE  DIED    DEC.   15,    1831. 

AGED    76. 


"  The  enterprising  spirit  by  which  the  Bostonians,  and  the 
New  Englanclers  generally,  are  distinguished,  has  character 
ized  them  from  the  very  foundation  of  the  colony  ;  and  it 
formed  one  topic  of  eloquent  panegyric  in  the  splendid  ora 
tion  of  Burke,  on  moving  his  famous  Resolutions  of  Concil 
iation  with  the  Colonies."*  "  Look,"  said  he,  "  at  the  man 
ner  in  which  the  people  of  New  England  have  of  late  carried 
on  the  whale  fishery.  Whilst  we  follow  them  among  the 
tumbling  mountains  of  ice,  and  behold  them  penetrating  into 
the  deepest  frozen  recesses  of  Hudson's  Bay  and  Davis's 
Straits, — whilst  we  are  looking  for  them  beneath  the  arctic 
circle,  we  hear  that  they  have  pierced  into  the  opposite  re 
gion  of  polar  cold  ;  that  they  are  at  the  antipodes,  and  en- 
aged  under  the  frozen  serpent  of  the  South.  Falkland 
sland,  which  seemed  too  remote  and  romantic  for  the  grasp 
of  national  ambition,  is  but  a  stage  and  resting-place,  in  the 
progress  of  their  victorious  industry.  Nor  is  the  equinoctial 
heat  more  discouraging  to  them,  than  the  accumulated  winter 
of  both  the  poles.  We  know  that  whilst  some  of  them  draw 
the  line  and  strike  the  harpoon,  on  the  coast  of  Africa, 
others  run  the  longitude,  and  pursue  the  gigantic  game  along 
the  coast  of  Brazil.  No  sea,  but  what  is  vexed  by  their 
fisheries.  No  climate,  that  is  not  witness  to  their  toils. 
Neither  the  perseverance  of  Holland,  nor  the  activity  of 
France,  nor  the  dexterous  and  firm  sagacity  of  English  en 
terprise,  ever  carried  this  most  perilous  mode  of  hard  indus 
try  to  the  extent,  to  which  it  has  been  pushed  by  this  recent 


I 


*  Dwight's  Travels. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  73 


people ;  a  people  who  are  still,  as  it  were,  but  in  the  gristle, 
and  not  yet  hardened  into  the  bone  of  manhood."* 

It  is  curious  enough  to  compare  with  this  splendid  en 
comium  upon  the  adventurous  spirit  of  mercantile  enterprise, 
the  caricature  of  the  New  Englander  drawn  by  an  American 
writer,  in  which  the  same  general  lineaments  are,  neverthe 
less,  preserved.  "  These  Yankees  are  certainly  a  very  strange 
race  of  people.  You  will  see  them  with  their  eel  skins  upon 
their  hair,  to  save  the  expense  of  barbers,  and  their  ear-rings 
in  their  ears,  to  improve  their  sight — to  see  how  to  cheat 
you  better,  I  suppose.  They  would  sooner  die  than  part 
with  one  of  these  ornaments — unless  you  pay  them  well  for 
it.  At  the  same  time,  they  live  upon  nothing.  A  rasher  of 
pork  is  a  feast  for  them,  even  on  holidays.  Their  favorite 
drink  is  svvitchel,  or  molasses  and  water,  which,  they  tell  you, 
is  better  than  burgundy  or  champagne.  They  are,  however, 
better  taught  than  fed,  and  make  the  finest,  boldest  sailors  in 
the  world.  They  can  sail  to  the  North  Pole  in  an  egg  shell, 
if  the  ice  does  not  break  it.  Indeed,  they  are  seamen  by 
birth,  and  box  the  compass  in  their  cradles.  You  know  our 
genteel  laziness  unfits  us  (Virginians)  for  the  drudgery  of 
commerce  ;  so  we  leave  it  all  to  the  Yankees.  The  crafting 
part  of  them  come  to  us  at  all  seasons  in  their  sloops  and 
schooners,  bringing  a  miscellaneous  cargo  of  all  sorts  of  no 
tions — not  metaphysical,  but  material — such  as  cheese,  but 
ter,  potatoes,  cranberries,  onions,  beets,  coffins ; — you  smile, 
but  it  is  a  fact,  that,  understanding  some  years  ago  that  the 
yellow  fever  was  raging  with  great  violence,  some  of  them 
very  charitably  risked  their  own  lives,  to  bring  us  a  large 
quantity  of  ready-made  coffins,  of  all  sizes,  in  nests,  one 
within  another,  to  supply  customers  at  a  moment's  warning; 
an  insult  we  have  hardly  forgiven  them  yet.  You  will  see 
them  sailing  up  into  all  our  bays,  rivers,  and  creeks;  wherever 
the  water  runs.  As  the  winter  comes  on,  they  creep  into 
some  little  harbor,  where  they  anchor  their  vessels,  and  open 
store  on  board,  retailing  out  their  articles  of  every  kind,  to 
the  poor  countrymen,  who  come  to  buy.  Towards  the  spring, 
they  sail  away  with  a  load  of  planks  or  shingles,  which  they 
often  get  very  cheap.  Indeed,  the  whole  race  of  Yankee 

*  Burke's  Speeches,  vol.  1,  p.  284. 


74  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


seamen  are  certainly  the  most  enterprising  people  in  the 
world.  They  are  in  all  quarters  of  the  globe,  where  a  penny 
is  to  be  made.  In  short,  they  love  money  a  little  better  than 
their  own  lives.  What  is  worst,  they  are  not  always  very 
nice  about  the  means  of  making  it,  but  are  ready  to  break 
the  laws  like  cobwebs,  whenever  it  suits  their  interest."* 

"  This,"  remarks  Lieutenant  Hall,  "  is  a  caricature — in 
tentionally  a  caricature  ;  but  we  have  introduced  it  for  the 
purpose  of  showing  what  pleasant  things  have  been  said  of 
the  Yankees.  Still  the  Virginian  satire  is  not  without  its 
justice,  in  respect  to  some,  whose  birthplace  was  the  land 
of  the  puritan  fathers.  To  be  correctly  judged  of,  the  New 
Englanders  should  be  seen  at  home"  "  I  feel  a  pride  and 
pleasure,"  says  Mr.  Carey,  in  liis  Olive  Branch,  "  in  doing 
justice  to  the  yeomanry  of  the  Eastern  States  :  they  will  not 
suffer  in  a  comparison  with  the  same  class  of  men  in  any  part 
of  the  world.  They  are  upright,  sober,  orderly,  and  regular  ; 
shrewd,  intelligent,  and  well  informed ;  and  I  believe  there 
is  not  a  greater  degree  of  native  urbanity  among  the  yeomanry 
of  any  other  country,  under  the  canopy  of  heaven."  These 
traits  of  character,  so  highly  and  justly  commended  by  Mr. 
Carey,  are  applicable  to  the  citizens  of  Boston. 

Perhaps  no  people  on  the  globe  are  more  attached  to  their 
country,  are  more  jealous  of  its  honor,  or  more  watchful  in 
respect  to  its  constitution,  and  institutions,  than  the  people 
of  Boston.  They  were  among  the  first  in  their  resistance  to 
British  tyranny,  and  foremost  in  all  the  great  measures  which 
led  to  the  triumph  of  American  liberty.  As  early  as  1760, 
an  attempt  was  made  by  the  British  government  to  enforce 
an  act,  by  which  duties  were  laid  on  foreign  sugar  and  mo 
lasses.  This  act  being  considered  oppressive,  had,  in  some 
instances,  been  supposed  to  be  evaded.  "  Writs  of  assist 
ance,"  or  search  warrants,  were  therefore  offered  to  the  cus 
tom  house  officers,  with  a  view  to  search  for  those  articles, 
supposed  to  be  secreted.  This  measure  roused  the  people, 
and  for  the  purpose  of  opposing  the  issuing  of  these  writs,  % 
they  employed  two  eminent  lawyers,  Oxenbridge  Thatcher, 
and  James  Otis,  to  appear  before  the  court  in  their  behalf. 
John  Adams  said,  "  That  on  this  occasion,  Otis  was  a  flame 
of  fire  ! — every  one  of  the  immense  audience,  who  heard  him 

*  Letters  from  Virginia. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  75 


in  his  defence  of  American  rights,  went  away  ready  to  take 
arms  against  writs  of  assistance.  Then  and  there  was  the 
first  scene  of  opposition  to  the  arbitrary  claim  of  Great  Brit 
ain  ;  then  and  there  American  independence  was  born." 

In  1765,  Lord  Grenville  introduced  into  the  British  par 
liament  his  famous  project  for  taxing  America,  to  commence 
with  duties  on  stamps.  This  excited  throughout  the  colo 
nies  a  burst  of  indignant  feeling;  but  in  no  place  greater 
heart-burnings  than  in  Boston.  Measures  were  pursued  by 
the  patriotic  populace,  which  were  considered  unwarrantable 
by  the  more  reflecting ;  but  they  evinced  the  spirit  and 
character  of  the  people  of  those  days.  The  stamp  act  was 
expected  to  go  into  operation  on  the  1st  of  November  ;  but 
in  August  preceding,  the  excited  feeling  of  the  inhabitants 
broke  out  into  open  violence.  "  After  burning  the  effigy  of 
Mr.  Oliver,  the  proposed  distributor  of  stamps,  the  populace 
assembled  at  his  house,  broke  his  windows,  and  destroyed 
his  furniture.  Mr.  Oliver  then  formally  pledged  himself  to 
have  no  concern  in  the  execution  of  the  obnoxious  statute. 
The  houses  of  an  officer  of  the  court  of  admiralty,  and  of 
one  of  the  custom  house  officers,  were  entered,  and  their 
effects  purloined.  But  the  greatest  damage  was  done  in  the 
mansion  house  of  Lieutenant  Governor  Hutchinson,  whose 
loss  in  furniture,  plate,  fixtures,  and  money,  was  very  con 
siderable,  and  was  a  chief  item  in  the  claims  which  Great 
Britain  afterwards  made  against  Massachusetts,  for  remuner 
ating  those  who  suffered,  in  attempting  to  enforce  this  act 
of  its  legislature." 

On  the  arrival  of  the  1st  of  November,  "the  great,  the 
important  day,"  its  dawn  was  ushered  in  by  the  tolling  of  the 
bells  of  the  city,  as  for  a  funeral.  Many  of  the  shops  and 
stores  were  shut.  Effigies  of  the  men  who  supported  the  act, 
were  paraded  about  the  streets,  and  carried  to  a  gallows 
erected  on  Boston  neck,  where,  after  being  suspended  for 
some  time,  they  were  cut  down  and  torn  to  pieces,  amid  the 
shouts  and  acclamations  of  thousands. 

In  1768,  "  non-importation  agreements"  were  entered  into 
by  several  of  the  colonies,  in  regard  to  articles  on  which  du 
ties  had  been  laid.  Tea  being  one,  the  East  India  Company 
soon  found  a  large  quantity  accumulated  in  their  warehouses. 
This  they  found  it  necessary  to  sell,  to  save  themselves  from 
bankruptcy ;  and,  accordingly,  large  shipments  were  made 
to  America,  with  the  hope  that  the  people  6*f  the  colonies,  in 


76  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


spite  of  all  private  associations,  and  patriotic  agreements, 
would  purchase  an  article,  which,  from  long  habit  and  ex 
tensive  use,  had  become  almost  a  necessary  of  life. 

Long  before  the  ships  arrived,  however,  with  the  tea,  ar 
rangements  were  made  to  avert  the  threatened  mischief. 
That  which  arrived  in  Philadelphia  and  New  York,  was 
sent  back  to  England  in  the  same  ships  that  brought  it.  In 
Charleston  it  was  landed,  and  was  ruined  in  damp  ware 
houses.  In  Boston  another  fate  awaited  it. 

Two  of  the  vessels  with  the  tea  arrived  on  Saturday,  No 
vember  27th.  On  Monday  following,  a  meeting  of  citizens 
was  called,  and  a  vote  passed  with  acclamations,  "  that  the 
tea  shall  not  be  landed,  that  no  duty  shall  be  paid,  and  that 
it  shall  be  sent  back  in  the  same  bottoms."  At  the  same 
time,  resolutions  were  passed,  calling  on  the  consignees, 
among  whom  were  two  sons  of  Governor  Hutchinson,  to  de 
cline  the  charge  of  it.  A  guard  of  twenty-five  men  were  ap 
pointed  to  protect  it,  and  prevent  its  being  landed  ;  and  then 
the  meeting  was  adjourned  to  the  next  day,  to  hear  the  an 
swer  of  the  consignees. 

That  answer  was,  that  they  would  not  send  it  back,  but 
would  store  it.  A  proclamation  from  the  governor,  ordering 
the  people  to  disperse,  was  read  by  the  sheriff,  which  was 
received  with  one  universal  hiss.  Votes  were  again  passed, 
prohibiting  the  tea  to  be  landed. 

"On  the  fifteenth  of  December,  another  meeting  was  held 
at  the  Old  South  Church,  when  Mr.  Rotch,  the  owner  of  the 
largest  parcel  of  tea,  attended  ;  and  after  much  difficulty,  he 
was  persuaded  to  apply  to  the  custom  house  for  a  clearance, 
and  the  meeting  adjourned,  to  hear  the  result,  till  the  next 
morning.  Ten  gentlemen  accompanied  him  to  the  custom 
house,  and  the  clearance  was  refused,  in  a  peremptory  man 
ner.  A  vote  of  the  meeting  was  then  passed,  ordering  him 
to  protest  against  this  refusal,  and  a  deputation  was  sent  with 
him  to  Governor  Hutchinson,  who  was  at  his  country  seat  on 
Milton  Hill,  seven  miles  from  Boston,  to  entreat  him  to  grant 
a  pass,  that  the  vessel  might  leave  the  harbor. 

"  In  the  mean  time,  various  speeches  were  made  in  the 
meeting,  to  keep  the  people  together,  which  were  said  to 
amount  to  six  or  seven  thousand  persons.  Mr.  John  Howe, 
an  eminent  merchant  and  patriotic  citizen,  who  was,  doubt 
less,  in  the  secret  of  the  measures  that  were  to  be  taken  in 
the  last  resort,,  hinted  in  the  form  of  an  inquiry,  '  Who 


78  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


knows  how  tea  will  mix  with  salt  water  ?  '  which  was  re 
ceived  with  applause.  At  length,  about  sundown,  the  depu 
tation  returned  from  the  governor,  with  the  refusal  to  grant 
the  pass.  A  few  minutes  after,  a  band  of  eighteen  or  twenty 
young  men,  who  had  been  prepared  for  the  event,  went  by 
the  meeting-house,  giving  a  shout.  It  was  echoed  by  some 
within  ;  others  exclaimed,  '  the  Mohawks  are  come  !  '  The 
assembly  broke  up,  and  a  part  of  it  followed  this  body  of 
young  men  to  Griffin's  wharf,  (now  called  Liverpool  wharf,) 
on  the  south  side  of  the  town. 

"  Three  different  parties,  composed  of  trustworthy  per 
sons,  many  of  whom  in  after  life  were  among  the  most  re 
spectable  citizens,  of  the  town,  had  been  prepared,  in  con 
formity  to  the  resolves  of  the  political  leaders,  to  act  as  cir 
cumstances  should  require.  One  or  two  of  these  parties 
wore  a  kind  of  Indian  disguise.  They  were  seventy  or 
eighty  in  all ;  and,  when  every  attempt  had  failed  to  have  the 
tea  returned,  and  the  final  refusal  of  the  governor  to  inter 
fere  was  received,  it  was  immediately  made  known  to  them, 
and  they  proceeded  at  once  to  throw  the  obnoxious  mer 
chandise  into  the  water.  This  was  done  with  as  much  good 
order  and  regularity,  as  if  the  tea  had  been  discharged  in  the 
ordinary  way.  The  chests  were  hoisted  upon  the  decks, 
broken  open,  and  their  contents  emptied  over  the  side  of  the 
ship  into  the  channel.  A  large  crowd  of  people  was  col 
lected,  who  were  quiet  spectators  of  the  operation,  which 
was  completed  in  the  course  of  the  evening  ;  and  after  the 
work  was  finished,  the  actors  and  spectators  calmly  retired 
to  their  several  homes. 

"Of  all  the  tea,  which  was  three  hundred  and  forty-two 
chests,  the  whole  quantity  saved  is  contained  in  a  small  vial 
still  in  existence.  One  of  the  operators,  on  his  return  home, 
found  his  shoes  filled  with  it ;  this  he  put  into  a  bottle,  and 
sealed  up.  Not  a  pound  of  the  tea  was  purloined.  One  of 
the  persons  engaged  in  the  business,  who  wished  to  preserve 
too  large  a  specimen,  was  observed  by  some  of  his  com 
panions  to  have  the  pockets  of  his  coat  a  little  distended. 
This  was  treated  as  an  accident,  which  was  remedied,  how 
ever,  in  a  good  natured  way,  without  resistance,  by  the  appli 
cation  of  a  knife  across  the  waist  of  the  coat,  which  left  a 
garment,  that  has,  in  later  times,  been  called  a  spencer,  and 
the  part  separated  was  thrown  overboard,  to  accompany  its 
kindred  tea.  The  most  scrupulous  care  was  taken,  that  nono 


80  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


CItAKLESTOWN. 


of  it  should  be  secreted.  The  shores  of  the  harbor,  at  high 
water  mark,  were  lined  with  it  the  next  day,  as  with  other 
worthless  weeds.  A  chest,  containing  a  few  pounds,  floated 
into  a  creek  in  Dorchester,  where  it  was  discovered,  brought 
into  town,  and  publicly  committed  to  the  flames." 


CHARLESTOWN. 

CIIARLESTOWN  is  an  appendage,  or  suburb  of  Boston  ;  yet 
it  was  founded  a  year  earlier  than  the  latter.  In  1629,  the 
inhabitants  of  Salem,  being  dissatisfied  with  the  location,  to 
the  number  of  100,  removed  under  the  Direction  of  Mr. 
Graves,  to  Mishawun,  to  which  by  conseht'they  gave  the 
name  of  Charlestown.  Mr.  Graves  laid  out  the  town  in 
two  acre  lots,  one  of  which  he  assigned  to  each  inhabitant; 
and  afterwards  he  built  a  good  house  for  the  accommodation 
of  those  who  were  soon  to  come  over  to  New  England.* 

The  more  compact  part  of  the  town  is  built  on  a  peninsula, 
the  centre  of  which  is  occupied  by  Bunker  Hill.  The  houses 
stand  on  the  eastern  and  southern  slope  of  the  hill,  and  along 
its  base.  The  main  street  is  a  mile  in  length,  and  there  is  a 
spacious  and  handsome  square  in  the  southern  part.  It  is  a 
pleasant  but  irregular  town,  and  the  views  of  the  city  are  ex 
ceedingly  beautiful.  The  population  in  1850  was  17,216. 

There  are  several  public  works  at  Charlestown,  of  interest, 
among  which  may  be  mentioned  the  United  States  Navy 
Yard.  It  occupies  60  acres  of  ground,  and  comprises  a 
marine  hospital,  warehouse,  arsenal,  powder  magazine,  and  a 
superintendent's  house,  all  of  brick,  with  two  large  wooden 
houses  to  shelter  frigates  and  sloops  of  war,  on  the  stocks. 
The  dry  dock  is  the  finest  in  the  United  States.  It  cost 
rising  half  a  million  of  dollars. 

On  the  western  side  of  the  peninsula,  at.  the  water's  edge, 
stands  the  Massachusetts  State  Prison.  It  has  been  recently 
rebuilt  on  the  Auburn  plan,  with  300  cells,  and  reorganized 
at  an  expense  of  $86,000.  The  Massachusetts  Insane  Hos- 

*  Holmes. 


3 

o 


00 


82  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

CHARLESTOWX. 

pital  stands  upon  a  beautiful  eminence  in  the  western  part  of 
Charlestown,  without  the  peninsula,  and  consists  of  several 
piles  of  buildings. 

Charlestown  is  memorable  for  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill, 
so  called,  which  was  fought  June  17,  1775.  It  was  the  first 
regular  battle  fought  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  served 
to  give  an  impulse  to  the  Americans  in  their  struggle,  which 
they  did  not  forget,  till  victory  crowned  their  arms,  in  the 
final  battle  of  Yorktown. 

Bunker  and  Breed's  Hill,  are  two  eminences  in  Charles- 
town.  "On  the  Kith  of  June,  Colonel  Prescott  received 
orders  to  fortify  Bunker's  Hill ;  but  on  viewing  that  emi 
nence,  he  saw  at  once,  that  it  was  an  ineligible  spot;  and  he 
looked  along  to  the  right,  and  found  that  a  spur  of  that  hill, 
which  was  now  called  Breed's  Hill,  was  the  most  proper 
situation,  in  every  respect,  for  a  battle  ground.  Consider 
ing  that  they  were  within  the  limits  of  their  orders,  Prescott 
and  Colonel  Gridley,  the  engineers,  began  a  redoubt  on  the 
right  of  Breed's  Hill.  It  was  about  one  hundred  and  forty 
feet  square,  with  two  open  passages  for  ingress  and  egress. 
On  the  left  of  the  redoubt,  running  north-easterly,  was  a 
breastwork  of  sods,  not  much  over  four  feet  high ;  but  not, 
as  has  been  stated,  extending  to  Mystic  river  ;  it  did  not 
extend  one  quarter  of  the  way  to  it.  The  line  from  this 
breastwork  was  made  of  two  post  and  rail  fences,  placed 
about  four  feet  apart,  in  parallel  lines,  and  between  them 
was  trode  the  newly  mown  grass,  making  quite  as  good  a 
screen  for  the  militia,  as  the  redoubt  or  the  breastwork. 

General  Ward,  who  commanded  the  American  army,  con 
cluding  from  the  firing  from  Copp's  Hill,  in  Boston,  at  the 
early  dawn  of  the  morning  of  the  17th,  that  the  British  would 
make  a  struggle  to  get  possession  of  the  works,  offered  to 
relieve  Prescott  and  his  men;  but  they  unanimously  declined 
the  offer,  but  earnestly  insisted  on  reinforcements.  These 
were  reluctantly  given,  as  the  commander  in  chief  thought 
that  an  attack  on  his  camp  was  contemplated  ;  and  in  such 
case,  his  camp  at  Cambridge,  indifferently  fortified  as  it 
was,  would  be  a  better  place  for  a  ceneral  action,  than 
Bunker's  Hill. 

"  Early  in  the  morning,  from  the  battery  on  Copp's  Hill, 
one  of  the  men  in  or  near  the  redoubt  was  shot,  and  was  in 
stantly  buried  on  the  spot ;  but  although  the  roar  of  the 


84  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


CHAKLKSTOWN. 


cannon  from  Copp's  Hill  was  incessant,  no  further  damage 
was  done  by  their  shots ;  and  in  aid  of  this  battery,  the 
Lively,  a  man-of-war,  was  brought  to  bear,  and  in  fact  she 
began  the  cannonade. 

"  General  Gage,  wishing  to  drive  the  provincials  from  the 
hill,  sent  Major  General  Howe  and  Brigadier  General  Pigot, 
with  ten  companies  of  grenadiers,  and  ten  of  light  infantry, 
with  some  artillery,  to  perform  this  service.  These  generals, 
reconnoitering  the  American  forces,  on  their  arrival  at  Nor 
ton's  Point,  thought  best  to  wait  the  reinforcement  from 
Boston.  For  these,  Howe  waited  from  about  noon  till  three 
o'clock,  P.  M.  before  the  battle  was  commenced.  The  British 
began  a  slow  march  up  the  hill  in  two  lines,  stopping  nt 
times  to  give  the  artillery  a  chance  to  play.  But  the  angle 
of  elevation  was  such,  that  it  did  but  little  execution.  The 
provincials  wasted  no  ammunition  ;  they  had  but  a  scanty 
supply.  They  were  ordered  to  put  four  buck  shots  to  a 
bullet,  and  to  reserve  their  fire  until  the  enemy  were  at  blank 
point  shot  distance.  At  this  moment  they  poured  in  upon 
the  approaching  foe  a  most  destructive  volley.  The  effect 
was  not  more  destructive  than  appalling.  The  British 
soldiery  expecting  nothing  but  random  shots  from  undisci 
plined  militia,  were  astonished  at  such  deadly  fires,  and  their 
line  was  broken  in  confusion.  Some  companies  had  not 
twenty  soldiers  fit  for  duty,  when  they  were  about  to  rally. 
The  British  officers  had  the  greatest  difficulty  to  bring  their 
troops  into  line  again.  At  length,  they  came  up  a  second 
time  towards  the  works,  but  with  some  wavering,  and  in  less 
than  fifteen  minutes,  their  line  broke  in  still  greater  confu 
sion  than  before.  Clinton  saw  this  from  Boston,  and  hasten 
ed  over  to  assist  Howe.  Both  the  generals  addressed  the 
soldiers ;  called  to  mind  their  former  wreaths  of  glory,  and 
the  everlasting  disgrace  of  being  beaten  by  raw  militia. 
Howe  swore  to  them,  that  he  would  never  survive  the  dis 
grace,  if  they  were  conquered  that  day.  By  this  time, 
Charlestown,  consisting  of  four  hundred  houses,  was  in  a 
blaze.  This  Clinton  had  done  to  terrify  the  neighboring 
army.  On  the  third  attack,  they  were  under  the  necessity 
of  resorting  to  skill,  not  daring  to  put  it  on  the  score  of 
bravery  a  third  time.  Pigot,  with  a  considerable  force,  took 
a  circuitous  route  around  the  south  side  of  the  hill,  and 
came  upon  the  south-western  angle  of  the  redoubt,  and  in 
stantly  scaled  the  slight  works.  Pitcairn  was  with  him,  and 


GENERAL  HOWE. 


GENERAL  BURGOYNE. 


GENERAL  STARK. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  87 


CHARLESTOWN. 


was  shot  through  the  body  as  he  was  about  to  leap  into  the 
redoubt.  Pigot,  being  a  short  man,  was  lifted  by  his  soldiers 
on  j;o  the  sods,  and  jumped  into  the  area  without  harm. 
The  provincials  were  now  attacked  on  the  east  and  on  the 
west;  their  ammunition  was  exhausted,  and  they 'had  but 
few  or  no  bayonets ;  and  after  beating  their  assailants 
awhile  with  the  buts  of  their  guns,  Prescott  ordered  a  retreat. 
Those  at  the  breast  work  and  in  the  redoubt  retreated, 
and  those  at  the  rail  fence  followed,  over  Charlestown  neck 
northward. 

"  Until  the  commencement  of  the  retreat,  but  few  of  the 
Americans  had  been  killed.  Their  unwillingness  to  leave  the 
ground  at  the  proper  time,  was  the  cause  of  the  considerable 
number  of  killed  and  wounded.  Captain  Knowlton,  having 
a  fine  company  near  Mystic  river,  moved  up  in  good  order, 
and  covered  the  retreat  of  the  Americans.  The  battle  was 
ended  between  five  and  six  o'clock.  The  wind  during  the 
fight,  was  brisk  and  westerly,  and  drove  the  smoke  directly 
in  the  face  of  the  enemy  ;  but  as  the  smoke  rose  over  the 
heads  of  the  British,  the  Americans,  as  it  were,  looking 
under  the  cloud,  saw  where  to  fire.  Prescott  was  during  the 
fight  in  the  redoubt;  the  other  portion  of  the  Massachusetts' 
rnilitia  at  the  breastworks.  The  New  Hampshire  troops, 
under  Stark,  Dearborn,  and  others,  were  at  the  rail  fence. 
They  were  marching  from  their  native  State  towards  Cam 
bridge,  and  went  on  to  the  battle  ground  by  their  own  im 
pulses,  not  having  received  any  orders  from  the  commander 
in  chief. 

"  The  British  had  between  three  and  four  thousand  in  the 
fight.  They  acknowledged  ten  hundred  and  fifty-four  killed 
and  wounded,  with  a  great  proportion  of  officers.  Their 
number  was  most  unquestionably  larger ;  for  they  brought 
between  three  and  four  hundred  of  the  slain,  and  buried 
them  in  the  corner  of  the  new  burying  ground  at  the  bottom 
of  the  common  in  Boston.  The  others  were  buried  on 
Breed's  Hill,  where  they  fell. 

"  The  Americans  had  fifteen  hundred  in  the  fight,  but 
perhaps  there  were  a  few  more  at  times,  for  volunteers  came 
on  to  the  ground,  expended  their  powder,  and  retreated, 
when  they  could  do  no  more  service  to  the  cause.  The 
provincials  had  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine  killed,  and  three 
hundred  and  fourteen  wounded  and  missing.  The  officers 
who  fell  on  the  American  side  were,  Colonel  Gardner  of 


88  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


CHARLESTOWN. 


Cambridge,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Parker  of  Chelrnsford,  and 
Majors  Moore  and  M'Crary, — all  men  of  distinction  and 
value,  and  heroes  in  the  cause, — with  Maj.  Gen.  Jos.  Warren. 
"  General  Burgoyne  was  all  the  time,  during  the  battle, 
seated  in  the  belfry  of  the  North  Church  of  Boston,  a  most 
commanding  position,  to  watch  the  movements  of  either 
party.  His  letter  describing  the  scene  was,  at  that  period, 
considered  as  one  of  very  graphic  power,  but  is  too  general 
to  give  the  historian  much  information.  Warren  assumed 
no  command  on  that  day.  He  had  been  commissioned  as  a 
major  general  by  the  Provincial  Congress,  but  four  days 
previous,  and  had  not  taken  any  command ;  nor  had  he,  in 
fact,  been  sworn  into  office,  except,  as  every  one  had  an 
oath  in  heaven,  to  live  free,  or  die.  Warren  was,  at  the 
moment  of  his  fall,  president  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  and 
chairman  of  the  committee  of  safety.  He  had  put  some  one 
into  the  chair,  and  mounted  his  horse  at  Watertown,  where 
the  legislature  was  in  session,  to  come  and  encourage  his 
fellow  citizens  in  the  fight.  When  he  entered  the  redoubt, 
Prescott  offered  him  the  command,  but  he  declined  it,  say 
ing,  '  I  come  to  learn  war,  under  an  experienced  soldier,  not 
to  take  any  command.1  He  was  the  martyr  of  that  day's 
glory.  His  death  was  felt  as  a  calamity  to  the  cause  and  to 
the  nation.  He  was  in  the  .prime  of  life,  being  only  thirty- 
five  years  of  age,  with  a  spirit  as  bold  and  dauntless,  as  was 
ever  blazoned  in  legends,  or  recorded  in  history.  He  was  a 
prudent,  cautious,  but  fearless  statesman;  made  to  govern 
men,  and  to  breathe  into  them  a  portion  of  his  own  heroic 
soul.  His  eloquence  was  of  high  order  ;  his  voice  was  fine, 
and  of  great  compass,  and  he  modulated  it  at  will.  His  ap 
pearance  had  the  air  of  a  soldier, — graceful  and  command 
ing,  united  to  the  manners  of  a  finished  gentleman.  The 
British  thought  that  his  life  was  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
the  American  army;  of  so  much  importance,  that  they  would 
no  longer  hold  together  after  his  fall.  They  sadly  mistook 
the  men  they  had  to  deal  with.  His  blood  was  not  shed  in 
vain  ;  it  cried  from  the  ground  for  vengeance ;  and  his  name 
became  a  watchword  in  the  hour  of  peril  and  glory.  The 
name  of  the  humblest  individual,  who  perished  in  that  fight, 
will  be  remembered  by  the  town,  or  parish  from  whence  he 
came,  and  be  generally  enrolled  on  the  books  of  the  corpo 
ration.  Young,  substantial  yeomen,  or  industrious  me 
chanics,  they  were  owners  of  the  soil  for  which  they  fought. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  89 


CHARLESTOWN. 


The  battle  scene  was  imposing ; — the  ground,  was  in  the  im 
mediate  neighborhood  of  a  city,  whose  inhabitants  were 
watching  the  progress  of  events,  anxious  for  their  nearest 
friends ; — the  roar  of  cannon  from  ships  of  war,  and  from 
floating  and  stationary  batteries,  followed,  or  commingled 
with  incessant  volleys  of  musketry — a  well  built  and  com 
pact  town,  seen  in  one  mass  of  flames, — and  all  this  but  the 
commencement  of  troubles, — was  a  sight  appalling  to  every 
American,  and  seemed  to  shake  even  the  enemy,  in  both 
mind  and  body.  The  British  troops,  in  considerable  num 
bers,  occupied  the  hill  that  night,  and  enlarged  the  redoubt 
to  nearly  twice  its  original  extent ;  yet  they  did  not  venture 
to  light  their  fires,  but  labored  by  the  sinking,  flickering 
lights,  which  shot  up  from  the  smouldering  ruins  of  Charles- 
town.  For  the  Americans,  struggling  for  liberty,  the  event 
of  this  battle  was  most  fortunate.  Their  troops  had  done 
enough  for  honor  ;  enough  to  produce  an  impression  of  their 
prowess  on  the  minds  of  their  enemies  :  enough  to  give  them 
confidence  in  themselves;  and  to  show  that  they  had  learnt 
something  in  the  way  of  preparing  themselves  to  correct 
the  errors  of  judgment  in  planning  a  fight.  They  suffered 
enough  to  feel  their  loss  deeply,  and  yet  not  sufficiently  in  any 
way  to  weaken  their  forces.  The  wound  received  was  too 
deep  to  be  healed  at  once ;  the  sight  was  too  awful  to  be  soon 
forgotten."* 

A  monument  designed  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  this 
event,  most  memorable,  perhaps,  in  the  struggle  of  the 
Americans  for  liberty,  was  commenced  June  17th,  1825.  It 
stands  on  the  southern  brow  of  the  eminence,  immediately 
overlooking  the  town,  upon  a  commanding  site.  It  is  a  plain 
obelisk  of  grey  granite,  and  its  height  is  220  feet;  the  base 
is  30  feet  square. 

The  ceremony  of  laying  the  corner  stone  of  this  monu 
ment  was  grand  and  imposing.  The  following  account  is 
given  by  Levasseur,  the  private  secretary  of  the  illustrious 
Fayette,  the  latter  of  whom  was  present  on  the  sublime  oc 
casion. 

"  The  sun  rose  clear,  on  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  Bun 
ker's  Hill  ;  and  thousands  of  voices,  joined  with  the  cheer 
ful  sound  of  bells  and  the  roar  of  artillery,  saluted  him  with 

*  Hinton's  United  States. 


BUNKER  HILL  MONUMENT. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  91 


CHARLESTOWN. 


their  patriotic  shouts.  At  seven,  A.  M.  passing  through  this 
crowd,  which  was  excited  by  glorious  recollections  of  the 
17th  of  June,  1775,  General  Lafayette  proceeded  to  the  grand 
lodge  of  Massachusetts,  where  deputations  from  the  grand 
lodges  of  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Rhode  Island,  Connecti 
cut,  Vermont,  and  New  Jersey,  were  assembled,  with  the 
officers  of  the  chapters  of  the  Knights  Templars,  to  receive 
and  compliment  him. 

"  At  ten  o'clock,  2000  free  masons,  sixteen  companies  of 
volunteer  infantry,  a  corps  of  mounted  militia,  with  the  dif 
ferent  corporations,  and  the  civil  and  military  authorities, 
proceeded  to  the  State  House,  where  the  procession  was 
formed  under  the  inspection  of  General  Lyman ;  while  the 
Grand  Masters  of  the  Masonic  order  went  for  General  La 
fayette,  who  had  returned  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Lloyd,  on 
leaving  the  lodge. 

"  At  half-past  ten,  the  procession  began  to  move  :  it  con 
sisted  of  about  7,000  persons ;  two  hundred  officers  and 
soldiers  of  the  revolution  marched  in  front,  and  forty  vet 
erans,  glorious  relics  of  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill,  followed 
them  in  eight  open  carriages.  They  were  decorated  with  a 
broad  riband,  on  which  was  this  inscription  : — '  17th  June, 
1775.'  Some  of  them  had  on  their  shoulders  the  cartridge 
belts  they  had  worn  on  that  memorable  day ;  and  one  of 
them  who  had  been  a  drummer,  still  bore  the  drum  with 
which  he  had  several  times  rallied  the  American  battalions, 
when  broken  by  the  English  columns.  Behind  them  march 
ed  a  long  line  of  persons  formed  of  the  numerous  subscribers 
to  the  monument,  six  abreast,  and  2,000  masons,  clad  in 
rich  ornaments,  and  bearing  the  instruments  and  symbols  of 
their  order.  Last  came  General  Lafayette,  in  an  elegant 
carriage,  drawn  by  six  beautiful  white  horses.  Next  behind 
him  followed  a  long  line  of  coaches,  in  which  were  his  son, 
his  secretary,  the  governor  of  Massachusetts  and  his  staff; 
finally,  a  great  number  of  persons  of  distinction,  natives  and 
strangers.  This  column  proceeded,  with  the  sound  of  music 
and  ringing  of  bells,  through  the  midst  of  200,000  citizens, 
who  had  assembled  from  all  the  States  of  the  Union  ;  while 
the  General  was  at  intervals  saluted  by  artillery  and  general 
acclamations.  lie  arrived  at  Bunker's  Hill  at  half-past 
twelve,  and  the  whole  crowd  was  soon  ranged  in  regular 
order  on  the  hill,  where  the  monument  was  to  be  erected,  to 


92  TRAVELS  AND    SKETCHES 

CHARLESTOWN. 

witness  the  national  gratitude  expressed  to  the  first  heroes 
of  the  revolution. 

"  The  humble  pyramid  erected  in  former  times,  over  the 
remains  of  Warren  and  his  companions,  which  we  had  seen 
on  our  first  visit  to  Bunker's  Hill,  had  disappeared.  From 
the  largest  piece  of  wood  it  contained,  a  cane  had  been 
formed,  which  was  mounted  with  gold,  and  bore  an  inscrip 
tion  referring  to  its  origin,  and  stating  that  it  had  been  pre 
sented  by  the  Masons  of  Charlestown  to  General  Lafayette, 
who  accepted  it  as  a  precious  relic  of  the  American  revolu 
tion.  A  large  excavation  which  had  been  made  at  that  place, 
showed  that  the  new  monument  was  to  be  raised  on  the  same 
spot. 

"  A  few  moments  after  we  had  taken  our  places  around 
that  excavation,  and  silence  had  been  obtained  throughout 
the  numerous  crowd  that  surrounded,  awaiting  the  ceremony 
in  solemn  silence,  the  Grand  Master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
Massachusetts,  accompanied  by  the  principal  dignitaries  of 
the  order,  brother  Lafayette,  Mr.  Webster,  and  the  principal 
architect,  proceeded  to  lay  the  first  stone  of  the  monument, 
with  the  forms  prescribed  by  the  Masonic  order.  In  an  iron 
chest  were  placed  medals,  pieces  of  money,  and  a  silver 
plate,  on  which  was  engraved  the  order  of  ceremonies.  This 
box  was  placed  under  the  stone,  on  which  the  Grand  Master 
poured  wheat,  oil,  and  wine  ;  while  the  Rev.  Mr.  Allen,  the 
chaplain  of  the  day,  pronounced  the  benediction.  The  Ma 
sonic  command  to  finish  the  monument  was  then  given,  and 
a  salute  of  artillery  announced  that  this  part  of  the  ceremony 
was  accomplished. 

"  The  procession  then  moved  to  a  vast  amphitheatre, 
formed  on  the  north-eastern  declivity  of  the  hill.  At  the 
centre  of  its  base  was  raised  a  covered  platform,  from  which 
the  orator  of  the  day  was  to  raise  his  voice,  and  address  an 
audience  of  15,000  persons  assembled  in  the  amphitheatre. 
All  the  revolutionary  officers  and  soldiers,  several  of  whom 
had  come  from  great  distances  to  witness  this  solemnity, 
were  seated  opposite  the  stage,  the  survivors  of  Bunker's 
Hill  forming  a  little  group  in  their  front.  At  the  head  of 
that  party  was  placed,  in  a  large  chair,  the  only  surviving 
general  of  the  revolution,  Lafayette.  Immediately  behind 
were  2,000  ladies,  brilliantly  dressed,  who  seemed  to  form  a 
guard  of  honor  for  those  venerable  old  men,  and  to  protect 


GENERAL  WARREN. 


94  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

CHARLESTOWN. 

them  from  the  tumultuous  throng  of  the  crowd.  Beyond 
the  ladies,  more  than  10,000  persons  were  seated  on  the  nu 
merous  benches  which  were  placed  on  the  side  of  the  hill, 
the  top  of  which  was  crowned  with  upwards  of  30,000  spec 
tators,  who,  although  beyond  the  reach  of  the  orator's  voice, 
stood  motionless,  and  in  the  most  profound  silence.  After 
the  agitation  which  necessarily  accompanies  the  movements 
of  so  large  a  crowd  had  been  tranquilized,  the  melodious 
sound  of  a  large  choir  of  singers  was  heard,  who  were  con 
cealed  behind  the  stage,  and  raised  a  patriotic  and  religious 
song,  the  deep  melody  of  which  agreeably  prepared  the  minds 
of  all  for  the  impressions  of  eloquence.  This  music  was 
succeeded  by  a  prayer  from  Dr.  Thaxter  ;  and  when  the 
venerable  pastor,  who  had  had  the  honor  of  fighting  at 
Bunker's  Hill,  presented  himself  before  the  assembly,  with 
his  white  locks  falling  in  long  silver  curls  on  his  shoulders: 
when  he  raised  towards  heaven  his  hands  enfeebled  by  age, 
and  with  a  voice  still  strong,  implored  the  benedictions  of 
the  Almighty  on  the  proceedings  of  that  day,  the  whole  audi 
ence  seemed  penetrated  with  inexpressible  emotions.  At 
length,  the  orator  of  the  day,  Mr.  Webster,  presented  himself 
in  his  turn  ;  his  tall  stature,  his  athletic  form,  the  noble 
expression  of  his  countenance,  and  the  fire  of  his  eye,  per 
fectly  harmonized  with  the  solemnity  of  the  scene.  Mr. 
Webster,  who  had  been  for  a  long  time  rendered  popular  by 
the  charms  of  his  eloquence,  was  welcomed  by  the  assembly 
witli  every  expression  of  pleasure.  The  murmur  of  satisfac 
tion  with  which  he  was  saluted,  ascended  from  the  base  of 
the  hill  to  the  summit,  and  prevented  him  for  a  few  instants 
from  beginning  his  discourse. 

"  During  his  discourse,  the  orator  was  sometimes  inter 
rupted  by  bursts  of  applause  from  the  audience,  who  could 
not  repress  the  expression  of  their  sympathetic  feelings,  when 
Mr.  Webster  addressed  the  revolutionary  veterans,  and  Gen. 
Lafayette,  and  while  they,  uncovering  their  venerable  heads, 
arose  to  receive  the  thanks  which  were  offered  them  in  the 
name  of  the  people.  A  hymn  sung  in  choir  by  the  whole  as 
sembly,  succeeded  this  speech,  and  terminated  the  second 
part  of  the  ceremony. 

"  At  the  signal  given  by  a  field  piece,  the  procession  form 
ed  anew,  mounted  the  hill,  and  went  to  seat  themselves  at  a 
banquet  prepared  on  the  summit.  There,  under  an  im 
mense  wooden  covering,  4,000  persons  took  their  places 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  95 


CHARLESTOWN. 


without  confusion.  The  tables  were  spread  with  so  much 
art,  that  the  voice  of  the  president,  and  all  those  who  offered 
toasts,  or  made  speeches,  were  easily  heard,  not  only  by  the 
company,  but  also  by  a  great  number  of  spectators,  stationed 
without.  The  names  of  Warren,  the  orator  of  the  day,  and 
the  guest  of  the  nation,  were  proposed  by  turns  during  the 
repast.  Before  leaving  the  table,  the  General  rose  to  return 
thanks  to  the  members  of  the  monument  association,  and 
expressed  himself  in  these  terms: 

"  I  will  now  ask  your  attention,  only  to  thank  you  in  the 
name  of  my  revolutionary  companions  in  arms,  as  well  as  in 
my  own  name,  gentlemen,  for  the  testimonies  of  esteem  and 
affection,  I  may  say  filial  affection,  with  which  we  have  been 
this  day  loaded.  We  offer  you  our  best  wishes  for  the  pres 
ervation  of  republican  liberty  and  equality,  self-government, 
and  happy  union  between  the  States  of  the  confederation  ; 
objects  for  which  we  fought  and  bled, — for  it  is  on  them 
that  the  hopes  of  mankind  now'rest.  Permit  me  to  give  you 
the  following  toast :  *  Bunker's  Hill,  and  the  Holy  Resist 
ance  to  oppression,  which  has  freed  the  American  hem 
isphere  ; — the  anniversary  toast  at  the  jubilee  of  the  next 
half  century  shall  be  :  Europe  Disenthralled  ! '  This  toast 
was-  received  with  transport ;  and  immediately  after,  the 
company  returned  to  the  city."* 

In  the  course  of  his  brilliant  oration,  already  alluded  to, 
Mr.  Webster,  turning  to  the  war-worn  and  scar-bearing  sur 
vivors  of  that  day's  battle,  ranged  in  order  before  him,  thus 
addressed  them  : 

"  VENERABLE  MEN  !  You  have  come  down  to  us,  from  a 
former  generation.  Heaven  has  generously  lengthened  out 
your  lives,  that  you  might  behold  this  joyous  day.  You  are 
now,  where  you  stood,  fifty  years  ago,  this  very  hour,  with 
your  brothers,  and  your  neighbors,  shoulder  to  shoulder,  in 
the  strife  for  your  country.  Behold,  how  altered  !  The  same 
heavens  are  indeed  over  your  heads ;  the  same  ocean  rolls  at 
your  feet;  but  all  else,  how  changed. 

"  You  hear  now  no  roar  of  hostile  cannon — you  see  no 
mixed  volumes  of  smoke  and  flarne,  rising  from  burning 
Charlestown.  The  ground  strewed  with  the  dead  and  the 
dying  ;  the  impetuous  charge  ;  the  steady  and  successful  re- 

*  Levasseur's  Journal. 


96  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


CHARLESTON' Jf. 


pulse  ;  the  loud  call  to  repeated  assaults  ;  the  summoning  of 
all  that  is  manly  to  repeated  resistance  ;  a  thousand  bosoms 
freely  and  fearlessly  bared  in  an  instant  to  whatever  of  terror 
there  may  be  in  war  and  death  ; — all  these  you  have  wit 
nessed,  but  you  witness  them  no  more. 

"  All  is  peace.  The  heights  of  yonder  metropolis,  its 
towers  and  roofs,  which  you  then  saw  filled  with  wives  arid 
children  and  countrymen  in  distress  and  terror,  and  looking 
with  unutterable  emotions  for  the  issue  of  the  combat,  have 
presented  you  to-day  with  a  sight  of  its  whole  happy  popu 
lation  come  out  to  welcome  and  greet  you  with  an  universal 
jubilee.  Yonder  proud  ships,  by  a  felicity  of  position,  ap 
propriately  lying  at  the  foot  of  this  mount,  and  seeming 
fondly  to  cling  around  it,  are  not  means  of  annoyance  to 
you,  but  your  country's  own  means  of  distinction  and  de 
fence. 

"  All  is  peace  ;  and  God  has  granted  you  this  sight  of 
your  country's  happiness,  ere  you  slumber  in  the  grave  for 
ever.  He  has  allowed  you  to  behold  and  to  partake  the 
reward  of  your  patriotic  toils;  and  he  has  allowed  us,  your 
sons  and  countrymen,  to  meet  you  here,  and  in  the  name  of 
the  present  generation,  in  the  name  of  your  country,  in  the 
name  of  liberty,  to  thank  you  ! 

"  But,  alas  !  you  are  not  all  here  !  Time  arid  the  sword 
have  thinned  your  ranks.  Prescott,  Putnam,  Stark,  Brooks, 
Read,  Pomeroy,  Bridge!  our  eyes  seek  for  you  in  vain, 
amidst  this  broken  band.  You  are  gathered  to  your  fathers, 
and  live  only  in  your  country  in  her  grateful  remembrance, 
and  your  own  bright  example.  But  let  us  not  too  much 
grieve  that  you  have  met  the  common  fate  of  men.  You 
lived,  at  least,  long  enougli  to  know  that  your  work  had 
been  nobly  and  successfully  accomplished.  You  lived  to  see 
your  country's  independence  established,  and  to  sheathe 
your  swords  from  war.  On  the  light  of  Liberty  you  saw 
arise  the  light  of  Peace,  like 

'  another  morn, 
Risen  on  mid-noon  ;' — 

and  the  sky,  on  which  you  closed  your  eyes,  was  cloudless ! 
"  But — ah  ! — Him  !    the  first  great   martyr   in  this  great 
cause!      Him!    the   premature   victim  of  his  own    self-de 
voting  heart !     Him  !  the  head  of  our  civil  councils,  and  the 


IX    NORTH    AMERICA.  97 


CHARLKSTOWN. 


destined  leader  of  our  military  bands;  whom  nothing 
brought  hither,  but  the  unquenchable  fire  of  his  own  spirit! 
Him  !  cut  off  by  Providence,  in  the  hour  of  overwhelming 
anxiety  and  thick  gloom  ;  falling,  ere  he  saw  the  star  of  his 
country  rise ;  pouring  out  his  generous  blood,  like  water, 
before  he  knew  whether  it  would  fertilize  a  land  of  freedom 
or  of  bondage  !  how  shall  I  struggle  with  the  emotions  that 
stifle  the  utterance  of  thy  name  !  Our  poor  work  may  perish  ; 
but  thine  shall  endure !  This  monument  may  moulder 
away  ;  the  solid  ground  it  rests  upon  may  sink  down  to  a 
level  with  the  sea  ;  but  thy  memory  shall  not  fail !  Where 
soever  among  men  a  heart  shall  be  found,  that  beats  to  the 
transports  of  patriotism  and  liberty,  its  aspirations  shall  be 
to  claim  kindred  with  thy  spirit ! 

"  But  the  scene,  amidst  which  we  stand,  does  not  permit 
us  to  confine  our  thoughts,  or  our  sympathies,  to  those  fear 
less  spirits,  who  hazarded  or  lost  their  lives,  on  this  conse 
crated  spot.  We  have  the  happiness  to  rejoice  here  in  the 
presence  of  a  most  worthy  representation  of  the  survivors  of 
the  whole  Revolutionary  army. 

"  VETERANS  !  You  are  the  remnant  of  many  a  well-fought 
field.  You  bring  with  you  marks  of  honor  from  Trenton, 
and  Monmouth,  from  Yorktown,  Camden,  Bennington,  and 
Saratoga.  VETERANS  OF  HALF  A  CENTURY  !  When  in  your 
youthful  days,  you  put  every  thing  at  hazard  in  your  coun 
try's  cause,  good  as  that  cause  was,  and  sanguine  as  youth 
is,  still  your  fondest  hopes  did  not  stretch  onward  to  an  hour 
like  this  !  At  a  period,  to  which  you  could  not  reasonably 
have  expected  to  arrive;  at  a  moment  of  national  prosperity, 
such  as  you  could  never  have  foreseen  ;  you  are  now  met, 
here,  to  enjoy  the  fellowship  of  old  soldiers,  and  to  receive 
the  overflowings  of  an  universal  gratitude. 

"  But  your  agitated  countenances  and  your  heaving 
breasts  inform  me,  that  even  this  is  not  an  unmixed  joy.  I 
perceive  that  a  tumult  of  contending  feelings  rushes  upon 
you.  The  images  of  the  dead,  as  well  as  the  persons  of  the 
living,  throng  to  your  embraces.  The  scene  overwhelms 
you,  and  I  turn  from  it.  May  the  Father  of  all  mercies 
smile  upon  your  declining  years,  and  bless  them  !  And 
when  you  shall  here  have  exchanged  your  embraces ;  when 
you  shall  once  more  have  pressed  the  hands,  which  have 
been  so  often  extended  to  give  succor  in  adversity,  or  grasped 

7 


98  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


CHAKI.ESTOWN. 


in  the  exultation  of  victory  ;  then  look  abroad  into  this 
lovely  land,  which  your  young  valor  defended,  and  mark 
the  happiness  with  which  it  is  filled  ;  yea,  look  abroad  into 
the  whole  earth,  and  see  what  a  name  you  have  contributed 
to  give  to  your  country,  and  what  a  praise  you  have  added  to 
freedom,  and  then  rejoice  in  the  sympathy  and  gratitude, 
which  beam  upon  your  last  days  from  the  improved  condition 
of  mankind."* 

To  the  foregoing  account  of  the  ceremonies  observed  on 
laying  the  corner-stone  of  this  splendid  obelisk,  it  may  be 
added,  that  after  long  and  vexatious  delays,  it  was  completed 
July  23d,  1842.  It  consists  of  90  courses  of  hewn  stone,  84 
above  the  base  and  6  below  it.  There  are  a  number  of  win 
dows  in  the  structure,  closed  with  iron  shutters,  besides  nu 
merous  apertures.  The  ladies  of  Boston,  by  a  fair  and  other 
donations,  raised  a  large  sum,  which  insured  the  completion 
of  the  monument.  The  entire  cost  of  the  structure  was 
$119,800,  of  which  the  ladies  raised  at  their  fair  $32,000. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  1843,  the  anniversary  of  the  battle, 
the  completion  of  the  monument  was  celebrated  in  a  splendid 
manner,  in  the  presence  of  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
the  heads  of  department,  and  an  immense  concourse  of  citi 
zens,  when  an  address  was  delivered  on  the  occasion  by  Hon. 
Daniel  Webster. 

This  monument  is  annually  visited,  as  it  should  be,  by 
thousands.  Besides  the  associations  which  a  view  of  it  is 
calculated  to  kindle  up  in  the  soul,  a  view  of  the  surrounding 
scenery  from  its  top  is  among  the  most  beautiful  and  sublime 
in  the  United  States.  Boston,  its  harbour  and  environs,  with 
the  more  distant  country,  embracing  mountain  scenery,  are 
spread  out  to  the  eye  of  the  beholder  in  a  prospect  most  en 
chanting.  Who  that  has  stood  on  that  height,  and,  looking 
down  on  the  soil  whence  it  rises,  remembering  that  the  blood 
of  his  sires  was  there  freely  shed  to  purchase  liberty — the 
freedom  of  his  country — does  not  almost  wish  to  abide  there  ? 
At  least,  how  refreshing  to  the  patriot  is  the  air  there  inhaled ! 
How  delightful  to  his  soul  the  prospect  he  then  takes  in! 

*  Address  at  the  laying  of  the  Corner  Stone  of  the  Bunker  Hill 
Monument, 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA. 


LOWELL. 

Lowell  is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  the  Merrimac  river, 
just  above  its  confluence  with  the  Concord  river,  and  occupies 
the  precise  spot  once  called  "  Wamesit,"  the  famous  capital 
or  head-quarters  of  the  Pawtucket  tribe  of  Indians.  The 
remains  of  the  Indian  ditch  which  once  environed  Wamesit, 
are  still  traceable,  and  are  nearly  coincident  with  the  present 
boundaries  of  the  city  of  Lowell. 

When  first  discovered  by  the  whites,  Wamesit  contained  a 
population  of  3000  souls,  but  as  early  as  1674  they  had 
dwindled  away  before  the  tide  of  the  approaching  whites,  to 
a  mere  handful.  In  1725  they  had  wholly  disappeared,  and 
the  place  remained  unnoticed  and  obscure,  settled  only  by  a 
sparse  population  of  farmers. 

In  1792,  an  act  of  incorporation  was  obtained  by  Dudley 
A.  Tyng  and  others  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  a  canal 
around  the  Pawtucket  Falls,  in  order  to  render  more  safe  the 
descent  of  lumber-rafts.  The  canal  was  only  a  mile  and  a 
half  long,  with  a  descent  of  32  feet  by  four  locks;  but  being 
the  first  canal  ever  constructed  in  this  country,  is,  as  such, 
entitled  to  notice  in  our  history.  The  first  boat  passed 
through  the  canal  in  1797. 

In  1804  the  Middlesex  canal  was  completed,  connecting 
the  Merrimac  above  the  Falls,  with  the  city  of  Boston ;  and 
although  these  canals  have  subsequently  become  the  source 
and  fountain-head  of  the  unexampled  prosperity  of  Lowell, 
they  were  not  originally  designed  to  subserve  manufacturing 
purposes,  nor  does  the  idea  of  applying  this  immense  water- 
power  to  any  other  use  than  the  transportation  of  merchan 
dise,  seems  to  have  entered  the  mind  of  any  one  until  some 
twenty-three  years  later.  One  humble  cotton-mill,  built  of 
wood,  at  an  expense  of  2500  dollars,  a  saw  and  grist-mill, 
and  a  small  powder-mill,  were  all  that  pertained  to  Lowell, 
as  a  manufacturing  place,  down  to  the  year  1823. 

In  1822  the  Merrimac  Manufacturing  Company  were  incor 
porated,  and  commenced  the  erection  of  cotton  mills,  and  in 
November,  1823,  produced  the  first  fabrics  from  their  looms. 

The  success  of  this  company  called  the  attention  of  capi 
talists  to  the  immense  water  privileges  which  could  here  be 
made  available,  and  in  1825  the  Hamilton  Company  was  incor 
porated,  and  commenced  laying  the  foundation  of  their  mills. 
The  first  stage-coach  which  ever  run  regularly  to  Lowell, 


100  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


commenced  in  1822;  and  the  first  public  worship,  since  the 
apostle  Elliot  preached  there  to  the  Indians,  was  in  1824. 
In  1825  the  first  church,  a  large  stone  edifice,  was  built  by 
the  Merrimac  Company.  The  place  was  originally  named  by 
the  whites  East  Chelmsford,  and  in  1820  contained  but  200 
inhabitants.  In  1826,  on  the  1st  of  March,  it  was  incorporated 
as  a  town,  under  its  present  name,  with  a  population  exceeding 
2500.  The  first  bank,  "  The  Lowell  Bank,"  was  established 
1828,  with  a  capital  of  $100,000 ;  and  in  the  same  year  the 
Appleton  Manufacturing  Company  and  the  Lowell  Manufac 
turing  Company  were  established.  In  1829  an  Institution  for 
Savings  was  chartered ;  and  in  1832  the  Western  or  Suf 
folk  canal  was  constructed,  at  an  expense  of  $70,000.  The 
Suffolk,  Tremont  and  Lawrence  Manufacturing  Companies 
were  established  in  1831,  as  also  the  Railroad  Bank,  with  a 
capital  of  $800,000.  The  Middlesex  Manufacturing  Com 
pany  and  a  Bleaching  Company  went  into  operation  about  the 
same  time;  and  in  1835  another  canal  was  constructed,  the 
Boot  Manufacturing  Company  established,  and  a  Railroad 
opened  to  the  city  of  Boston. 

Meantime,  other  buildings  had  been  erected  with  a  corres 
ponding  rapidity  ;  streets,  blocks,  and  squares  had  sprung  up, 
as  if  by  magic;  churches,  school-houses,  and  public  edifices 
had  been  erected;  and  an  unparalleled  increase  of  population 
and  wealth  had  marked  its  course.  The  town  contained,  as 
stated,  in  1820  but  200  inhabitants,  and  in  1826  about  2,500. 
In  1828  the  population  was  3,532;  in  1832,  10,244  ;  and  in 
1836  it  was  incorporated  as  a  city,  with  a  population  of  17,633. 

The  present  population  is  over  35,000,  one-third  of  which 
are  operatives,  viz :  about  7,000  females  and  3,000  males. 
There  are  33  mills,  (besides  calico  print-works,  bleacheries, 
and  divers  other  manufacturing  and  mechanical  establish 
ments,)  from  which  are  turned  out  weekly  1,459,100  yards 
of  cloth — or  75,868,000  yards  yearly.  There  are  also 
manufactured  annually  14,000,000  yards  of  calico.  More 
than  $1,500,000  are  paid  out  annually  for  labor,  a  portion  of 
which  is  invested  by  the  operatives  in  the  purchase  of  shares 
of  the  capital  stock  of  the  companies,  thereby  becoming 
themselves  stockholders. 

There  is  probably  no  place  in  New  England,  or  in  the 
world,  where  the  business  of  manufacturing  is  conducted 
with  more  regard  to  the  great  interests  and  rights  of  all 
concerned  than  at  Lowell. 


MAINE. 


PORTLAND. 

THIS  city  is  beautifully  situated,  on  an  elevated  peninsula, 
in  Casco  Bay,  118  miles  N.  N.  E.  from  Boston  ;  542  from 
Washington  ;  and  258  S.  of  Quebec.  The  peninsula  re 
sembles  the  form  of  a  saddle  :  the  principal  part  of  the 
houses  being  erected  on  the  seat.  The  situation  is  hand 
some  :  the  harbor  is  a  beautiful  piece  of  water  spreading  on 
the  south-east,  and  the  cove,  smaller,  but  scarcely  less  beau 
tiful,  on  the  north-west.  This  cove  at  the  time  of  ebb  be 
comes  a  pond.  A  bridge,  thrown  over  the  outlet,  connects 
Portland  with  the  main  land  in  this  direction.  The  penin 
sula  is  universally  handsome.  The  site  of  the  town  is  an 
easy,  elegant  arched  slope.  The  principal  streets  run  par 
allel  with  the  length  of  the  peninsula,  and  are  crossed  by 
others  nearly  at  right  angles.  Like  those  of  most  other 
towns  in  this  country,  they  are  destitute  of  that  exact  regu 
larity,  both  in  their  position  and  direction,  which  would  have 
rendered  them  entirely  beautiful. 

The  situation  of  Portland  is  probably  as  healthy  as  any  in 
New  England.  The  slope,  on  which  it  is  built,  furnishes 
every  where  a  ready  passage  for  all  the  water,  and  the  hap 
piest  means  of  keeping  the  town  perfectly  clean.  Nothing 
can  stagnate  here  without  pains-taking.  The  air  cannot  but 
be  sweet.  The  wells  furnish  an  ample  supply  of  pure  and 
fine  water.  Accordingly,  the  inhabitants  enjoy  as  uninter 
rupted  health,  as  those  of  any  place,  of  the  same  size,  in  the 
United  States.  Population  in  1850  20,815. 

The  harbor  is  safe,  capacious,  and  rarely  frozen.  It  is 
sufficiently  deep  to  admit  ships  of  the  line.  The  wharfs  of 
no  great  length,  reach  to  the  channel.  No  American  town 
is  more  entirely  commercial ;  and,  of  course,  none  is  more 
sprightly.  Lumber,  fish,  and  ships,  are  the  principal  materi- 

101 


102  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

PORTLAND. 

als  of  their  commerce.*  Numerous  islands  are  in  the  bay 
to  the  east,  on  two  of  which  are  forts,  which  defend  the  en 
trance  of  the  harbor ;  Fort  Preble  on  Bang's  island,  and 
Fort  Scammel,  a  blockhouse,  on  House  island.  Fort  Bur 
rows  stands  under  the  observatory  bluff,  on  the  water's  edge. 
Between  50,000  and  60,000  tons  of  shipping  belong  to  this 
port,  consisting  of  a  large  number  of  ships,  brigs,  schooners, 
sloops,  and  steamboats  and  other  craft. 

Many  of  the  private  buildings  of  Portland  are  handsome, 
and  some  elegant.  An  appearance  of  neatness  and  good 
taste  reigns  throughout  the  place.  The  public  buildings  are 
in  good  style,  and  appropriate  to  the  present  state  and  pros 
perity  of  the  place.  Among  the  finest  public  edifices  are 
the  Court  House,  and  Custom  House.  The  city  contains 
sixteen  churches.  The  people  are  distinguished  for  their  love 
of  order ;  many  of  them  are  eminent  for  their  piety.  In  their 
manners,  they  are  pleasing,  and  quite  hospitable  in  their  feel 
ings.  "  A  traveller,"  observes  a  traveller,  "  cannot  easily 
visit  them  without  carrying  away  a  very  advantageous  im 
pression  of  their  character."  Education  is  well  attended  to, 
and  there  are  numerous  schools,  some  of  which  are  of  a  high 
character. 

Portland  was  formerly  called  Falmouth.  It  was  incor 
porated  as  a  town  in  1786,  and  as  a  city  in  1832.  This  place 
suffered  considerably  during  the  early  Indian  wars.  In  1676, 
an  attack  was  made  on  the  inhabitants  by  a  body  of  savages, 
who  captured  or  destroyed  thirty  of  their  number,  and  com 
pelled  the  remainder  to  flee  for  safety  to  a  neighboring  island. t 

In  1689,  the  savages  renewed  their  attacks  on  this  region  ; 
but  by  the  means  of  the  enterprise  of  Colonel  Church,  who 
was  sent  to  defend  it,  a  large  body  of  savages,  aided  by  a 
party  of  French,  was  defeated.  But  the  next  spring,  the  In 
dians  appeared  at  Falmouth,  and  three  forts  in  the  town  fell 
into  their  hands.  One  hundred  of  the  inhabitants  were  made 
prisoners,  and  the  town  was  destroyed.  The  slain  remained 
unburied  until  the  following  year,  when  Colonel  Church  ap 
peared,  and  consigned  them  to  the  grave. 

During  the  revolutionary  war,  Falmouth  was  the  scene  of 
*  Dwight's  Travels.  t  Hubbard. 


104  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


PORTLAND. 


an  outrage,  which  fired  the  American  people  with  indigna 
tion.  Captain  Mowat,  the  commander  of  a  British  sloop  of 
war,  had  often  come  on  shore  at  Portland,  where  he  had 
always  received  marked  attention  from  the  inhabitants.  But 
after  the  buttles  of  Lexington  and  Breed's  Hill,  the  regard 
of  the  Americans  for  the  British  had  somewhat  cooled  ;  and, 
on  one  occasion,  when  Mowat  visited  the  town,  he  received 
some  personal  insult  from  several  strangers,  who  happened 
to  be  in  the  place.  This  was  regretted  and  reprobated  by 
the  principal  inhabitants. 

Mowat  resenting  the  insult,  which  consisted  in  a  temporary 
arrest,  immediately  sailed  for  Boston,  for  the  purpose  of  ob 
taining  permission  to  destroy  the  place.  Admiral  Greaves 
consenting,  Mowat,  on  the  18th  of  November,  1775,  ap 
peared  before  the  town,  and  by  a  messenger,  informed  the 
inhabitants  of  his  design.  A  respectful  remonstrance  was 
sent  to  him,  in  which  he  was  reminded  of  the  former  hospi 
tality  and  politeness  of  the  people  towards  him.  But  no 
other  indulgence  could  be  obtained,  but  a  respite  till  the  next 
morning.  In  this  short  interval,  most  of  the  inhabitants  re 
moved,  and  some  of  their  effects  were  conveyed  to  a  place 
of  safety. 

In  the  morning,  the  British  vessels  opened  their  fire  upon 
the  town,  and  continued  the  work  of  devastation,  till  they 
had  reduced  all  the  public  buildings  (except  the  Congrega 
tional  church)  and  one  hundred  and  thirty  dwelling  houses 
to  ashes.  One  hundred  and  sixty  families  were  thus  driven 
to  find  an  asylum  from  the  winter,  in  a  country  thinly  in 
habited,  and  whose  inhabitants  were  poorly  able  to  furnish 
either  subsistence,  or  even  a  shelter.  The  name  of  Mowat 
is  inscribed  on  the  pages  of  American  history,  and  will  de 
scend  down,  while  type,  ink,  and  paper  last,  with  the  unen 
viable  reputation  of  a  second  Erostratus. 

Within  a  few  years  a  railroad  communication  has  been 
opened  between  Portland  and  Boston  ;  and  another,  which 
will  prove  of  vast  importance,  is  in  contemplation  between 
Poriland  and  Montreal. 


NEW    HAMPSHIRE. 


PORTSMOUTH. 

PORTSMOUTH,  although  not  incorporated  as  a  city,  is  by 
far  the  most  populous,  and  important  town  in  New  Hamp 
shire.  It  is  the  only  seaport  in  the  State.  It  is  built  on  a 
beautiful  peninsula  on  the  north  side  of  Piscataqua  river  ; 
united  with  the  main  land  by  a  narrow  isthmus  on  the  north 
west,  and  by  a  bridge  over  a  small  inlet  on  the  south.  The 
surface  of  the  peninsula  is  uneven  and  beautiful.  As  seen 
from  the  tower  of  the  steeple,  the  opposite  shore  of  Kittery, 
from  which  it  is  divided  by  the  above  river,  the  river  itself, 
the  harbor,  the  ocean,  the  points,  the  islands,  the  town,  and 
the  adjacent  country,  form  an  assemblage  of  beautiful  objects 
not  often  surpassed.  It  lies  about  three  miles  from  the 
ocean— 55  N.  and  E.  from  Boston  ;  58  S.  W.  of  Portland  ; 
and  491  from  Washington. 

The  population  in  1850  was  9, 738,  chiefly  collected  near  the 
harbor  on  a  hill  adjoining.  Like  most  other  New  England 
towns,  the  houses  are  chiefly  of  wood  ;  but  it  contains  some 
elegant  buildings.  Being  compactly  built,  it  has  suffered 
severely  by  several  fires  within  a  few  years,  the  most  recent 
and  destructive  of  which  took  place  in  December,  1813,  by 
which  a  large  proportion  of  the  buildings  was  destroyed. 
Their  place,  however,  has  been  supplied,  and  the  appearance 
of  the  town  improved. 

The  harbor  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  world,  completely 
land-locked,  never  frozen,  and  accessible  to  the  largest  ships. 
Its  tides  are  high  and  rapid.  The  channel,  at  low  water,  is 
40  feet  in  depth.  It  is  defended  by  Fort  Constitution  on 
Great.  Island  ;  Fort  M' Clary  opposite  ;  Fort  Sullivan  on  Tre- 
pethen  Island  ;  and  Fort  Washington  on  Pierce's  Island. 
The  two  latter  were  garrisoned  during  the  late  war. 

Portsmouth  contains  seven  churches,  some  of  which  may 
be  said  to  be  elegant ;  a  court  house,  gaol,  six  banks,  mar- 

105 


106  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


PORTSMOUTH. 


kets,  an  academy,  athenaeum,  280  stores,  &,c.  Two  bridges 
were  built  to  connect  with  Kittery,  Maine,  in  1822,  across 
the  Piscataqua,  the  channel  of  which  is  broad,  and  the  cur 
rent  rapid  at  particular  times  of  the  tide.  The  long  bridge 
is  1,750  feet  in  length,  extended  across  water  varying 
from  43  to  45  feet  in  depth  at  low  tide,  a  distance  of  900 
feet,  and  crosses  an  island  in  the  river.  A  water  company 
was  formed  and  commenced  operations  in  1799,  which  sup 
plies  all  the  streets  with  good  water,  brought  a  distance  of 
three  miles.  On  Great  Island  is  a  lighthouse.  On  Conti 
nental  Island,  which  is  owned  by  the  United  States,  is  a  navy 
yard  belonging  to  government;  and  on  Badger's  Island  was 
constructed  the  first  ship-of-the-line  in  America.  It  was 
built  during  the  Revolution,  and  named  the  North  America. 
Portsmouth  was  settled  in  1623,  by  a  company  of  which 
Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges  was  an  associate,  and  was  incorpo 
rated  by  Massachusetts  in  1653,  while  New  Hampshire  was 
a  colony.  It  is  remarkable  that  during  the  long  and  bloody 
wars,  by  which  most  other  parts  of  this  State  suffered,  this 
place  was  entirely  exempted.  From  the  time  that  New 
Hampshire  became  a  separate  government,  in  1680,  to  the 
American  Revolution,  the  Legislature  held  its  sessions  in 
this  town ;  but  since  that  period  they  have  met  at  Concord, 
Exeter,  &c. 

Some  years  since,  there  died  in  this  place  a  hermit,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  82  years.  He  lived  on  a  farm,  sufficient  in 
extent  and  fertility  to  have  supported  a  large  family  ;  but  he 
had  imbibed  the  idea,  that  he  should  live  to  spend  the  whole, 
exercising  the  greatest  economy.  For  more  than  twenty 
years  he  dwelt  entirely  alone,  in  a  hut,  which  scarcely  any 
one  would  have  deemed  decent  for  a  barn.  He  made  his 
own  garments,  which  were  in  a  fashion  peculiar  to  himself. 
He  tilled  his  land,  milked  his  cows,  and  made  his  butter  and 
cheese ;  but  subsisted  principally  on  potatoes  and  milk. 
Owing  no  doubt  to  his  abstemious  and  temperate  mode  of  liv 
ing,  he  exhibited  at  the  age  of  eighty-two,  a  face  freer  from 
wrinkles  than  is  generally  seen  in  those  of  fifty. 

His  mother  lived  to  be  more  than  an  hundred  years  of  age. 
When  she  was  one  hundred  and  two,  some  people  visited 
her  on  a  certain  day  ;  and  while  they  were  with  her,  the  bell 
was  heard  to  toll  for  a  funeral.  The  old  lady  burst  into 
tears,  and  said,  "  When  will  the  bell  toll  for  me  ?  It  seems 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  107 


PORTSMOUTH 


that  the  bell  will  never  toll  for  me  ;  I  am  afraid  that  I  shall 
never  die ! " 

Though  repeatedly  invited  to  repair  to  some  of  the  neigh 
bors,  to  spend  the  winter,  where  he  might  be  comfortable, 
this  hermit  absolutely  declined ;  alleging  that  he  had  every 
thing  he  wanted.  He  would  not  suffer  any  one  to  spend  a 
night  in  his  house,  or  to  take  care  of  him  in  his  last  illness. 
For  several  weeks  before  his  death,  he  was  in  a  feeble  state 
of  health ;  but  with  those  comfortable  accommodations, 
which  were  abundantly  in  his  power,  he  might  have  perhaps 
lived  to  the  age  of  his  mother. 

During  an  extreme  cold  night,  in  which  the  thermometer 
fell  to  four  degrees  below  cipher,  he  became  so  chilled,  that 
he  was  unable  to  rise  in  the  morning,  and  soon  expired. 
He  had  no  shirt  to  his  back,  according  to  his  usual  custom, 
and  his  only  covering  for  the  night,  besides  an  old  tattered 
cloth  garb,  was  a  small  ragged  blanket;  and  his  bed  was  a 
parcel  of  straw. 


VERMONT. 


VERGENNES. 


THIS  is  the  only  incorporated  city  in  the  State  of  Vermont. 
The  act  of  incorporation  passed  the  legislature  in  1788.  Its 
settlement  commenced  in  1766,  by  emigrants  from  Mas 
sachusetts  and  Connecticut.  Its  progress  in  trade  and  pop 
ulation  has  probably  not  corresponded  to  the  expectations 
of  its  inhabitants,  at  the  time  it  was  vested  with  city  privi 
leges.  Population  in  1850  1,378 

It  lies  on  the  Otter  Creek,  at  the  head  of  navigation,  and 
embraces  an  area  of  400  rods  by  480.  The  creek  here  falls 
thirty  feet,  and  affords  many  good  mill  sites,  some  of  which 
are  occupied.  The  largest  vessels  which  navigate  Lake 
Champlain  are  able  to  come  within  seven  miles  of  Ver- 
gennes.  The  shores  on  either  side  are  bold  and  often  pic 
turesque;  but  the  channel  is  very  crooked.  The  surround 
ing  country  is  quite  fertile,  and  considerable  produce  finds 
its  way  to  market  through  this  port.  The  place  is  advanta 
geously  situated  for  ship  building.  The  population  does  not 
much  exceed  one  thousand.  In  this  port,  Commodore  Mc- 
Donough's  flotilla,  which  so  signally  sustained  the  honor  of 
America  on  Lake  Champlain,  in  an  engagement  with  a  su 
perior  British  force,  was  fitted  out  in  1814. 

But  although  Vermont  cannot  boast  of  cities  of  size,  pop 
ulation,  and  wealth,  like  many  of  her  sister  States,  she  has 
several  finely  situated,  well  built  and  thriving  towns,  of 
which  perhaps  the  most  distinguished  is 

BURLINGTON. 

Burlington  stands  on  a  most  beautiful  harbor,  on  the  east 
side  of  Lake  Champlain,  near  the  mouth  of  Onion  river.  It 
is  on  elevated  ground,  commanding  a  noble  view  of  the  lake 
and  adjacent  country.  It  carries  on  a  considerable  trade 

Ins 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  109 


BURLINGTON'. 


Almost  all  the  vessels  which  navigate  the  lake  are  owned 
here.  Many  of  the  private  houses  are  in  beautiful  taste, 
with  large  gardens.  Here  are  the  public  buildings  of  the 
county,  an  academy,  banks,  &c.  The  population  in  1850 
was  6,110. 

The  Vermont  University  is  located  at  Burlington.  It  was 
incorporated  in  1791,  but  did  not  go" into  operation  till 
1800  ;  it  has  been  liberally  patronized  by  the  State.  It  has 
libraries  of  more  than  9,000  volumes,  and  a  philosophical 
apparatus  that  is  tolerably  complete.  The  funds  consist 
principally  of  lands,  amounting  to  about  30,000  acres,  and 
yielding,  at  present,  an  income  of  about  2,500  dollars.  On 
the  27th  of  May,  1824,  a  large  college  edifice,  erected  in 
1801,  was  unfortunately  destroyed  by  fire  ;  but  the  library 
ajid  part  of  the  philosophical  apparatus  were  saved.  Since 
that  time,  three  brick  edifices  have  been  erected,  two  of 
them  containing  rooms  for  students  ;  the  other  containing  a 
chapel  and  other  public  rooms. 

"  Splendor  of  landscape,"  remarks  Dr.  Dwight,  "  is  the 
peculiar  boast  of  Burlington.  Lake  Champlain,  here  six 
teen  miles  wide,  extends  fifty  miles  northward,  and  forty 
southward,  before  it  reaches  Crown  Point,  and  throughout 
a  great  part  of  this  magnificent  expansion  is  visible  at  Bur 
lington.  In  its  bosom  are  encircled  many  beautiful  islands  ; 
three  of  them,  North  and  South  Hero,  and  La  Motte,  suf 
ficiently  large  to  contain,  the  first  and  last,  one  township 
each,  the  other,  two  ;  forming,  together  with  the  township  of 
Alburgh,  on  the  point  between  the  bay  of  Misciscoui  and  the 
river  St.  John,  the  county  of  Grand  Isle.  A  numerous  train 
of  these  islands  are  here  in  full  view.  In  the  interior, 
among  the  other  interesting  objects,  the  range  of  the  Green 
Mountains,  with  its  train  of  lofty  summits,  commences  in 
the  south  with  the  utmost  stretch  of  the  eye  ;  and  limiting, 
on  the  east,  one  third  of  the  horizon,  declines  far  northward, 
until  it  becomes  apparently  blended  with  the  surface.  On 
the  west,  beyond  the  immense  field  of  glass,  formed  by  the 
waters  of  the  lake,  extends  the  opposite  shore  from  its  first 
appearance  at  the  south,  until  it  vanishes  from  the  eye  in  the 
north-west,  at  the  distance  of  forty  miles.  Twelve  or  fifteen 
miles  from  this  shore  ascends  the  first  range  of  western 
mountains ;  about  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  further,  the  second 


HO  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


BURLINGTON. 


range;  and,  at  about  the  same  distance,  the  third.  The  two 
former  commence  a  few  miles  south  of  the  head  of  Lake 
George ;  one  on  the  eastern,  and  the  other  on  the  western 
side  of  this  water.  Where  the  third  commences,  I  am  ig 
norant.  The  termination  of  all  these  ranges  is  not  far  from 
the  latitude  of  Plattsburg.  The  prospect  of  these  mountains 
is  superlatively  noble.  The  rise  of  the  first  range  from  the 
Jake,  the  ascent  of 'the  second  far  above  it,  and  the  still 
loftier  elevation  of  the  third,  diffuse  a  magnificence  over  the 
whole,  which  mocks  description.  Three  of  the  summits, 
hitherto  without  a  name,  are  peculiarly  distinguished  for  their 
sublimity.  Among  those  of  the  Green  Mountains  there  are 
two,  in  the  fullest  view  from  this  spot,  superior  even  to  these. 
One  of  them,  named  the  Camel's  Rump,  the  Camel's  Back, 
and  the  Camel  ;  the  other  the  Mountain  of  Mansfield.  The 
latter  of  these,  was  by  the  following  expedient  proved,  not 
long  since,  to  be  higher  than  the  former.  A  hunter,  who 
had  ascended  to  its  highest  point,  put  into  his  piece  a  small 
ball ;  and  pointing  it  to  the  apex  of  the  Camel,  the  ball  rolled 
out.  Both  of  them  are,  however,  very  lofty  ;  higher,  as  I 
believe,  than  Killington  Peak,  notwithstanding  the  deference 
with  which  I  regard  the  estimates  of  Doctor  Williams.  The 
peculiar  form  of  the  Camel's  Back  invests  this  mountain 
with  a  sublimity  entirely  superior  to  any  other  in  the 
State."  » 

*Dwight's  Travels. 


CONNECTICUT. 


HARTFORD. 

THE  original  English  settlers  of  Hartford  were  a  distin 
guished  band  of  pilgrims,  principally  from  the  county  of 
Essex,  in  England.  In  1632,  a  considerable  portion  of  them 
emigrated  to  America,  and  first  settled  at  Mount  Wollaston, 
now  Quincy,  near  Boston.  But  during  the  same  year,  they 
were  ordered  by  the  court  to  Newtown,  since  called  Cam 
bridge.  In  the  course  of  the  following  year,  they  were  join 
ed  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hooker,  their  former  minister,  in 
England,  who,  to  escape  "  fines  and  imprisonment,"  had 
been  obliged  to  take  refuge  in  Holland  for  three  years.  On 
landing  at  Boston,  Mr.  Hooker  proceeded  to  Newtown, 
where,  finding  himself  in  the  midst  of  a  joyful  and  affection 
ate  people,  he  was  filled  with  joy  himself.  He  embraced 
them  with  open  arms,  saying,  in  the  language  of  the  apostle, 
"Now  I  live,  if  ye  stand  fast  in  the  Lord."  With  Mr. 
Hooker  came  over  the  famous  Mr.  John  Cotton,  Mr.  John 
Haynes,  afterwards  governor  of  Connecticut,  Mr.  Goff,  and 
two  hundred  passengers  of  importance  to  the  colony.  On 
the  llth  of  October  of  this  year,  the  eighth  Church  was 
gathered  on  the  American  soil,  and  the  pastor,  Mr.  Hooker, 
and  the  teacher,  Mr.  Stone,  were  ordained  with  appropriate 
services. 

Accessions  to  the  little  colony  at  Newtown  continuing  to 
be  made,  as  also  to  those  who  had  settled  at  Dorchester  and 
Watertown,  it  was  deemed  essential  to  the  comfort  of  the 
three  settlements  to  remove  to  some  more  commodious  place. 
In  the  summer  of  1634,  six  men  were  despatched  from  "  the 
towns  in  the  Bay,"  to  examine  the  lands  on  the  "Qwoncktor 
cut"  as  the  river  was  called  by  the  Indians,  or  the  "fresh 
river"  as  denominated  by  the  English.  The  report  of  these 
"  spies,"  of  the  commodiousness  of  the  place,  and  the  fruit- 
fulness  of  the  soil,  was  so  favorable,  that  a  resolution  was 

111 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  113 


HARTFORD. 


adopted  by  the  people  of  the  above  towns,  "  forthwith  to 
begin  several  plantations  there." 

On  making  application  to  the  court  for  liberty  to  remove, 
an  unexpected  opposition  arose,  because  they  had  it  in  view 
to  plant  a  colony  in  Connecticut,  independent  of  that  of 
Massachusetts.  The  debate  in  the  court  was  long  and  spirit 
ed  ;  and  the  application,  for  that  session,  rejected.  This 
caused  considerable  excitement,  not  only  in  the  general 
court,  but  in  the  colony,  to  allay  which,  Mr.  Cotton  was  re 
quested  to  preach  on  the  subject. 

The  next  May,  1635,  the  people  of  Newtown  renewed 
their  application  to  the  court,  for  liberty  to  remove;  which, 
after  some  delay,  was  granted,  upon  consideration  that  they 
should  continue  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Massachusetts. 

Matters  being  thus  arranged,  "  on  the  15th  of  October, 
about  sixty  men,  women,  and  children,  with  their  horses, 
cattle,  and  swine,  commenced  their  journey  from  Massachu 
setts,  through  the  wilderness,  to  the  Connecticut  river.  After 
a  tedious  and  difficult  journey,  through  swarnps  and  rivers, 
over  mountains  and  rough  grounds,  which  were  passed  with 
great  difficulty  and  fatigue,  they  arrived  safely  at  the  places 
of  their  respective  destination.  They  were  so  long  on  their 
journey,  and  so  much  time  and  pains  were  spent  in  passing 
the  river,  and  in  getting  over  their  cattle,  that  after  all  their 
exertions,  winter  came  upon  them  before  they  were  prepared. 
This  was  an  occasion  of  great  distress  and  damage  to  the 
plantations. 

"  The  winter  set  in  this  year  much  sooner  than  usual,  and 
the  weather  was  stormy  and  severe.  By  the  15th  of  Novem 
ber,  Connecticut  river  was  frozen  over,  and  the  snow  was  so 
deep,  and  the  season  so  tempestuous,  that  a  considerable 
number  of  the  cattle,  which  had  been  driven  on  from  Massa 
chusetts,  could  not  be  brought  across  the  river.  The  people 
had  so  little  time  to  prepare  their  huts  and  houses,  and  to 
erect  sheds  and  shelters  for  their  cattle,  that  the  sufferings 
of  man  and  beast  were  extreme.  Indeed,  the  hardships  and 
distresses  of  the  first  planters  of  Connecticut  scarcely  admit 
of  description.  To  carry  much  provision,  or  much  furni 
ture,  through  a  pathless  wilderness,  was  impracticable. 
Their  principal  provisions  and  household  furniture  were, 
therefore,  put  on  board  several  small  vessels,  which,  by  reason 
of  delays  and  the  tempestuousness  of  the  season,  were  either 
cast  away,  or  did  not  arrive.  Several  vessels  were  wrecked 

8 


114  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


HARTKORD. 


on  the  coast  of  New  England,  by  the  violence  of  the  storms. 
Two  shallops,  laden  with  goods,  from  Boston  to  Connecticut, 
in  October,  were  cast  away  on  Brown's  island,  near  the 
Gurnet's  nose  ;  and  the  men  with  every  thing  on  board,  were 
lost.  A  vessel  with  six  of  the  Connecticut  people  on  board, 
which  sailed  from  the  river  for  Boston,  early  in  November, 
was,  about  the  middle  of  the  month,  cast  away  in  Manamet 
Bay.  The  men  got  on  shore,  and  after  wandering  ten  days 
in  deep  snow  and  a  severe  season,  without  meeting  any  hu 
man  being,  arrived,  nearly  spent  with  cold  and  fatigue,  at 
New  Plymouth. 

"  By  the  last  of  November,  or  beginning  of  December, 
provisions  generally  failed  in  the  settlements  on  the  river, 
and  famine  and  death  looked  the  inhabitants  sternly  in  the 
face.  Some  of  them,  driven  by  hunger,  attempted  their  way, 
in  this  severe  season,  through  the  wilderness,  from  Connec 
ticut  to  Massachusetts.  Of  thirteen  in  one  company,  who 
made  this  attempt,  one,  in  passing  the  rivers,  fell  through  the 
ice,  and  was  drowned.  The  other  twelve  were  ten  days  on 
their  journey,  and  would  all  have  perished,  had  it  not  been 
for  the  assistance  of  the  Indians. 

"  Indeed  such  was  the  distress  in  general,  that  by  the  3d 
and  4th  of  December,  a  considerable  part  of  the  new  settlers 
were  obliged  to  abandon  their  habitations.  Seventy  persons, 
men,  women,  and  children,  were  necessitated,  in  the  extrem 
ity  of  winter,  to  go  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  river,  to  meet 
their  provisions,  as  the  only  expedient  to  preserve  their  lives. 
Not  meeting  with  the  vessels  which  they  expected,  they  all 
went  on  board  the  Rebecca,  a  vessel  of  about  sixty  tons. 
This,  two  days  before,  was  frozen  in,  twenty  miles  up  the 
river  ;  but  by  the  falling  of  a  small  rain  and  the  influence  of 
the  tide,  the  ice  became  so  broken  and  was  so  far  removed, 
that  she  was  enabled  to  get  out.  She  ran,  however,  upon 
the  bar,  and  the  people  were  forced  to  unlade  her  to  get 
her  off.  She  wasreladed,  and  in  five  days  reached  Boston. 
Had  it  not  been  for  these  providential  circumstances,  the 
people  must  have  perished"  with  famine. 

'  The  people  who  kept  their  stations  on  the  river  suffered 
in  an  extreme  degree.  After  all  the  help  they  were  able  to 
obtain,  by  hunting,  and  from  the  Indians,  they  were  obliged 
to  subsist  on  acorns,  malt  and  grains. 

"  Numbers  of  the  cattle,  which  could  not  be  got  over  the 
river  before  winter,  lived  through  without  any  thing  but  what 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  115 


HARTFORD. 


they  found  in  the  woods  and  meadows.  They  wintered  as 
well  or  better  than  those  which  were  brought  over,  and  for 
which  all  the  provision  was  made,  and  pains  taken,  of 
which  the  owners  were  capable.  However,  a  great  number 
of  cattle  perished.  The  Dorchester,  or  Windsor  people,  lost 
in  this  single  article  about  two  hundred  pounds  sterling. 
Their  other  losses  were  very  considerable. 

"  It  is  difficult  to  describe,  or  even  to  conceive,  the  ap 
prehensions  and  distresses  of  a  people,  in  the  circumstances 
of  our  venerable  ancestors,  during  this  doleful  winter.  All 
the  horrors  of  a  dreary  wilderness  spread  themselves  around 
them.  They  were  compassed  with  numerous,  fierce,  and 
cruel  tribes  of  wild  and  savage  men,  who  could  have  swal 
lowed  up  parents  and  children,  at  pleasure,  in  their  feeble 
and  distressed  condition.  They  had  neither  bread  for  them 
selves  nor  children,  neither  habitations  nor  clothing  con 
venient  for  them.  Whatever  emergency  might  happen,  they 
were  cut  off,  both  by  land  and  water,  from  any  succor  or  re 
treat.  What  self  denial,  firmness,  and  magnanimity  are 
necessary  for  such  enterprises  !  How  distressful,  in  the  be 
ginning,  was  the  condition  of  those  now  fair  and  opulent 
towns  on  Connecticut  river  ! 

"  For  a  few  years  after  the  settlements  on  the  river  com 
menced,  they  bore  the  same  name  with  the  towns  in  Massa 
chusetts,  whence  the  first  settlers  came. 

"  The  Connecticut  planters,  at  first  settled  under  the  gen 
eral  government  of  Massachusetts,  but  they  held  courts  of 
their  own,  which  consisted  of  two  principal  men  from  each 
town  ;  and,  on  great  and  extraordinary  occasions,  these  were 
joined  with  committees,  as  they  were  called,  consisting  of 
three  men  from  each  town.  These  courts  had  power  to 
transact  all  the  common  affairs  of  the  colony,  and  with  their 
committees,  had  the  power  of  making  war  and  peace,  and 
treaties  of  alliance  and  friendship  with  the  natives  within  the 
colony. 

"  The  first  court  in  Connecticut  was  holden  at  Newtown, 
April  26th,  1636.  It  consisted  of  Roger  Ludlow,  Esquire, 
Mr.  John  Steel,  Mr.  William  Swain,  Mr.  William  Phelps, 
Mr.  William  Westwood,  and  Mr.  Andrew  Ward.  Mr.  Lud 
low  had  been  one  of  the  magistrates  of  Massachusetts  in 
1630,  and  in  1631  had  been  chosen  lieutenant  governor  of 
that  colony.  At  this  court  it  was  ordered  that  the  inhabit 
ants  should  not  sell  guns  nor  ammunition  to  the  Indians. 


116  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 

*          HARTFORD. 

Various  other  affairs  were  also  transacted  relative  to  the  good 
order,  settlement,  and  defence  of  these  infant  towns. 

"  Several  of  the  principal  gentlemen  interested  in  the  set 
tlement  of  Connecticut,  Mr.  John  Haynes,  who  at  this  time 
was  orovernor  of  Massachusetts,  Mr.  Henry  Wolcott,  Mr. 
Wells,  the  ministers  of  the  churches,  and  others,  had  not 
yet  removed  into  the  colony.  As  soon  as  the  spring  ad 
vanced,  and  the  travelling  would  admit,  the  hardy  men  be 
gan  to  return  from  Massachusetts  to  their  habitations  on 
the  river.  No  sooner  were  buds,  leaves,  and  grass  so  grown, 
that  cattle  could  live  in  the  woods,  and  obstructions  removed 
from  the  river,  so  that  vessels  could  go  up  with  provisions 
and  furniture,  than  the  people  began  to  return,  in  large 
companies,  to  Connecticut.  Many,  who  had  not  removed  the 
last  year,  prepared,  with  all  convenient  despatch,  for  a  jour 
ney  to  the  new  settlements  upon  the  river. 

"  About  the  beginning  of  June,  Mr.  Hooker,  Mr.  Stone, 
and  about  one  hundred  men,  women,  and  children,  took  their 
departure  from  Cambridge,  and  travelled  more  than  a  hun 
dred  miles,  through  a  hideous  and  trackless  wilderness,  to 
Hartford.  They  had  no  guide  but  their  compass  ;  and  made 
their  way  over  mountains,  through  swamps,  thickets,  and 
rivers,  which  were  not  passable  but  with  great  difficulty. 
They  had  no  cover  but  the  heavens,  nor  any  lodgings  but 
those  which  simple  nature  afforded  them.  They  drove  with 
them  a  hundred  and  sixty  head  of  cattle,  an<J  by  the  way, 
subsisted  on  the  milk  of  their  cows.  Mrs.  Hooker  was  borne 
through  the  wilderness  upon  a  litter.  The  people  generally 
carried  their  packs,  arms,  and  some  utensils.  They  were 
nearly  a  fortnight  on  their  journey. 

"  This  adventure  was  the  more  remarkable,  as  many  of 
this  company  were  persons  of  figure,  who  had  lived,  in  Eng 
land,  in  honor,  affluence,  and  delicacy,  and  were  strangers  to 
fatigue  and  danger."* 

Such  is  a  brief  account  of  the  original  settlement  of  the 
English,  at  Hartford,  Windsor,  and  Wethersfield.  Weth- 
ersfield,  however,  is  the  oldest  town  in  the  State,  a  few  huts 
having  been  erected  there  in  1634,  in  which  a  small  number 
of  individuals  contrived  to  winter. 

The  Indian  name  of  Hartford  was  Suckiaug.  The  Sa 
chem  of  the  place  was  Sunckqnasson,  who  gave  a  d?ed,  about 
the  year  1636,  to  Samuel  Stone  and  William  Goodwin,  who 

*  Trumbull's  History  of  Connecticut. 


118  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


HARTFORD. 


appear  to  have  acted  in  behalf  of  the  first  settlers.  In  1670, 
the  soil  was  again  purchased  of  the  Indians,  the  evidence  of 
the  first  purchase  being  considered  imperfect.  Hartford 
retained  the  name  of  New-town  till  February,  1637,  when, 
by  order  of  the  court,  it  was  changed  to  the  former  name, 
in  honor  of  Mr.  Stone,  who  was  born  at  Hartford  in  England. 

"  For  a  time,  the  affairs  of  the  people  of  the  three  settle 
ments,  Hartford,  Windsor,  and  Wethersfield,  wore  a  most 
gloomy  aspect.  They  had  sustained  great  losses  in  cattle 
and  goods  in  the  preceding  years,  and  even  this  year  they 
were  unfortunate  with  respect  to  their  cattle.  They  had 
no  hay,  but  what  they  cut  from  the  spontaneous  productions 
of  an  uncultivated  country.  To  make  good  English  meadow 
was  a  work  of  time.  The  wild,  coarse  grass,  which  the 
people  cut,  was  often  mowed  too  late,  and  but  poorly  made. 
They  did  not  always  cut  a  sufficient  quantity  of  this  poor 
hay.  They  had  no  corn  or  provender  with  which  they  could 
feed  them  ;  and  amidst  the  multiplicity  of  affairs,  which,  at 
their  first  settlement,  demanded  their  attention,  they  could 
not  provide  such  shelters  for  them  as  were  necessary,  during 
the  long  and  severe  winters  of  this  northern  climate.  From 
an  union  of  these  circumstances,  some  of  their  cattle  were 
lost,  and  those  which  lived  through  winter  were  uncommonly 
poor,  and  many  of  the  cows  lost  their  young.  Notwith 
standing  all  the  exertions  the  people  had  made  the  preceding 
summer,  they  had  not  been  able,  in  the  multiplicity  of  their 
affairs,  and  under  the  inconveniences,  to  raise  a  sufficiency 
of  provision.  Their  provisions  were  not  only  very  coarse, 
but  very  dear  and  scanty.  The  people  were  not  only  inex 
perienced  in  the  husbandry  of  the  country,  but  they  had  but 
few  oxen  or  ploughs.  They  performed  almost  the  whole  cul 
ture  of  the  earth  with  their  hoes.  This  rendered  it  both 
exceedingly  slow  and  laborious. 

'  The  inhabitants  of  Hartford,  as  also  those  of  the  infant 
settlements  in  their  vicinity,  were  regarded  with  jealousy  by 
the  Indians  in  their  immediate  neighborhood,  and  even  at  a 
distance. 

14  They  waylaid  the  white  man  in  his  path  through  the 
woods.  They  seized  upon  him  while  at  work  in  the  field. 
They  cut  him  down  with  their  tomahawks  at  the  door  of  his 
own  house.  The  question  was  to  be  settled,  whether  our 
forefathers  should  abandon  the  country,  or  meet  and  con 
quer  this  terrible  foe.  They  determined  on  the  latter.  On 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  119 


HARTFORD. 


the  first  of  May,  just  eighteen  months  after  the  settlement  was 
begun,  and  when  there  were  only  eight  hundred  souls  in  the 
colony,  the  Court  met,  and  resolved  upon  an  offensive  war 
against  the  Pequots,  the  powerful  tribe  inhabiting  the  country 
around  New  London  and  Stonington,  and  which  were  evident 
ly  plotting  the  destruction  of  the  colony.  On  the  10th,  ninety 
men  were  drafted  from  the  three  settlements,  and  ready  for 
the  expedition.  Embarked  on  board  three  little  floats  that 
were  to  convey  them  down  the  river,  they  received  the  exhor 
tation  and  blessing  of  their  venerated  pastor,  Mr.  Hooker. 
'  Your  cause,'  said  he,  '  is  the  cause  of  heaven  ;  the  enemy 
have  blasphemed  your  God,  and  slain  his  servants;  you  are 
only  the  ministers  of  his  justice.  March,  then,  with  Chris 
tian  courage  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord  ;  march  with  faith 
in  his  divine  promises  ;  and  soon  your  swords  shall  find 
your  enemies,  soon  they  shall  fall  like  leaves  of  the  forest 
under  your  feet.'  So  it  proved. 

"  Mr.  Stone  went  as  Chaplain.  On  the  fifteenth,  they 
were  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  whence  they  sent  back  twen 
ty  of  their  number  to  guard  their  own  defenceless  homes. 
On  the  morning  of  the  28th,  the  little  army,  consisting  of 
seventy-seven  Englishmen,  and  a  party  of  Narragansett  and 
Mohegan  Indians  was  before  the  fort  of  the  Pequots  at 
Mystic.  The  day  was  near  dawning.  A  dog  bays  the 
alarm.  It  is  too  late.  The  Englishmen's  musketry  and 
broadswords  are  upon  them,  arid  their  last  hour  has  come. 
The  brave  Captain  Mason,  with  a  party  of  his  equally  brave 
men,  rushes  in  at  the  east  end  of  the  fort,  and  carries  the 
battle  into  the  huts  of  the  savages,  just  roused  from  sleep. 
The  conflict  is  terrible,  and,  for  a  moment,  the  victory  hangs 
in  suspense ;  till  Mason,  seizing  a  firebrand,  cries,  '  we 
must  burn  them,'  and  throws  it  among  the  mats  of  their 
cabins.  Instantly  they  are  in  flames.  The  assailants  retire 
and  surround  the  fort,  and  the  fire  finishes  the  work.  In  one 
short  hour  the  battle  is  over;  six  hundred  Indians  are  slain, 
and  the  power  of  the  most  formidable  foe  of  the  English 
is  annihilated.  Our  men  left  the  scene  of  action  just  as 
the  sun  had  risen  ;  embarked  on  board  their  vessels,  which, 
just  at  that  crisis,  entered  the  Pequot  harbor  to  receive  them  ; 
and,  in  three  days,  were  at  their  homes,  with  only  two  of 
their  number  killed,  and  about  twenty  wounded."* 

*  Dr.  Hawes's  Centennial  Address. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  121 

HARTFORD. 

The  early  records  of  Hartford  contain  many  laws  and  reg 
ulations  passed  in  their  general  town  meeting,  which  in  the 
wisdom  of  the  fathers  were  deemed  important  for  the  welfare 
of  their  little  community ;  but  which  to  us,  at  the  present 
day,  would  appear  almost  puerile,  especially,  if  due  allow 
ance  is  not  made  for  their  primitive  manners  and  peculiar 
circumstances.  A  few  extracts  from  these  records  follow  : 

1635. — It  is  ordered,  that  there  shall  be  a  guard  of  ... 
men,  to  attend  with  their  arms  fixed,  and  two  shot  of  powder 
and  shot,  at  least  ....  every  public  meeting  for  religious 
use,  with  two  sergeants  to  oversee  the  same,  and  to  keep  out 

one  of  them  sentinel and  the  said  guard  to  be  freed 

from  boarding,  and  to  have  seats  provided  near  the  meeting 
house  door,  and  the  sergeants  repair  to  the  magistrates  for 
a  warrant  for  the  due  execution  thereof. 

It  is  ordered,  that  every  inhabitant  which  hath  not  free 
dom  from  the  whole  to  be  absent,  shall  make  his  personal 
appearance  at  every  general  meeting  of  the  whole  town, 
having  sufficient  warning;  and  whosoever  fails  to  appear  at 
the  time  and  place  appointed,  shall  pay  sixpence  for  every 
such  default ;  but  if  he  shall  have  lawful  excuse,  it  shall  be 
repaid  him  again  ;  or  whosoever  departs  away  from  the  meet 
ing  before  it  be  ended,  without  liberty  from  the  whole,  shall 
pay  the  likewise. 

It  is  ordered,  that  whosoever  borrows  the  town  chain,  shall 
pay  two  pence  a  day,  for  every  day  they  keep  the  same,  and 
pay  for  mending,  if  it  be  broken  in  their  use. 

It  is  ordered,  that  there  shall  be  a  set  meeting  of  all  the 
townsmen  together  the  first  Thursday  of  every  month,  by 
nine  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  so  that  if  any  inhabitant  have 
any  business  with  them,  he  may  repair  unto  them ;  and 
whosoever  of  them  do  not  meet  at  the  time  and  place  set,  to 
forfeit  two  shillings  and  sixpence  for  every  default. 

The  17th  September,  1040 — It  is  ordered,  that 

Woodward  shall  spend  his  time  about  killing  of  wolves,  and 
for  his  encouragement  he  shall  have  four  shillings  and  six 
pence  for  his  board,  in  case  he  kill  not  a  wolf,  or  a  deer  in 
the  week  ;  but  if  he  kill  a  wolf  or  a  deer,  he  is  to  pay  for 
his  board  himself;  and  if  he  kill  ....  to  have  it  for  two 
pence  a  pound.  This  order  is  made  for  a  month  before  he 
begins.  It  is  further  ordered,  that  if  any  person  hath  lost 
any  thing  that  he  desireth  should  be  cried  in  a  public  meet- 


122  TRAVELS  AND    SKETCHES 


HARTFORD. 


ing,  he  shall  pay  for  crying  of  it  two  pence  to  Thomas 
Woodford,  to  be  paid  before  it  be  cried ;  and  the  crier  shall 
have  a  book  of  the  things  that  he  crieth. 

At  a  general  Town  Meeting  in  April,  1643 — It  was  or 
dered,  That  Mr.  Andrews  should  teach  the  children  in  the 
school  one  year  next  ensuing,  from  the  25th  of  March,  1643, 
and  that  he  shall  have  for  his  pains  £16;  and  therefore  the 
townsmen  shall  go  and  inquire  who  will  engage  themselves 
to  send  their  children  ;  and  all  that  do  so  shall  pay  for  one 
quarter  at  the  least,  and  for  more  if  they  do  send  them,  after 
the  proportion  of  twenty  shillings  the  year ;  and  if  they  go 
any  weeks  more  than  an  even  quarter,  they  shall  pay  six 
pence  a  week  ;  and  if  any  would  send  their  children,  and  are 
not  able  to  pay  for  their  teaching,  they  shall  give  notice  of  it 
to  the  townsmen,  and  they  shall  pay  it  at  the  town's  charge  ; 
and  Mr.  Andrews  shall  keep  the  account  between  the 
children's  schooling  and  himself,  and  send  notice  of  the  times 
of  payment  and  demand  it ;  and  if  his  wages  doth  not  come 
in  so,  then  the  townsmen  must  collect  and  pay  it ;  or  if  the  en 
gagements  come  not  to  sixteen  pounds,  then  they  shall  pay 
what  is  wanting,  at  the  town's  charges. 

At  a  general  Town  Meeting,  October  30th,  1643 — //  was 
ordered,  That  if  any  boy  shall  be  taken  playing,  or  misbe 
having  himself,  in  the  time  of  public  services,  whether  in  the 

meeting  house  or  about  the  walls by  two  witnesses, 

for  the  first  time  shall  be  examined  and  punished  at  the  pres 
ent,  publicly,  before  the  assembly  depart ;  and  if  any  shall 
be  the  second  time  taken  faulty,  on  witness,  shall  be  account 
ed  Further,  it  is  ordered,  if  the  parents  or  master 

shall  desire  to  correct  his  boy,  he  shall  have  liberty  the  first 
time  to  do  the  same. 

It  was  further  ordered,  in  the  same  general  meeting  that 
there  should  be  a  bell  rung  by  the  watch  every  morning,  an 
hour  before  daybreak,  and  that  they  are  appointed  by  the 
constables  for  that  purpose  ;  shall  begin  at  the  bridge,  and  so 
ring  the  bell  all  the  way  forth  and  back  from  Master  Moody's 

(Wyllys  Hill)  to  John  Pratt's and  that  they  shall  be 

in  every  house,  one  up,  and  ....  some  lights  within  one 
quarter  of  an  hour  after  the  end  of  the  bell  ringing  ....  if 
they  can  ....  the  bell  is  rung  before  the  time  appointed, 
then  to  be  up  with  lights  as  before  mentioned,  half  an  hour 
before  daybreak,  and  for  default  herein  is  to  forfeit  oneshil- 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  123 

HARTFORD. 

ling  and  sixpence,  to  be  to  him  that  finds  him  faulty,  and 
sixpence  to  the  town.* 

Hartford  was  not  incorporated  as  a  city,  till  1784,  nearly 
a  century  and  a  half  from  its  settlement.  It  lies  upon  the 
bank  of  Connecticut  river,  50  miles  from  its  mouth.  It  is 
110  N.  E.  from  New  York,  and  100  W.  S.  W.  from  Boston. 
Its  lat.  is  41°  45'  N.,  and  long.  4°  15'  E.  from  Washington. 
The  limits  of  the  city  extend  somewhat  more  than  a  mile 
upon  the  river,  and  about  three  fourths  of  a  mile  in  breadth. 
The  position  of  the  city  is  quite  pleasant.  The  prospect 
from  the  State  House,  or  any  other  considerable  elevation, 
is  delightful,  especially  in  the  latter  part  of  the  spring  months, 
when  the  uncommonly  fertile  country  around  has  put  on  its 
appropriate  attire.  Few  scenes  are  more  enchanting — the 
river,  which  at  this  season  is  considerably  swollen,  coming 
down  from  the  north,  and  sweeping  rapidly  by  the  city — 
while  the  proud  steamboat  is  seen  laboring  up  against  the 
current,  or  just  swinging  off  from  the  dock,  turns  with  the 
descending  tide,  and  dashes  like  the  war  horse  down  the  im 
petuous  flood. 

The  city  is  rather  irregularly  laid  out,  and  is  divided  at 
the  south  part  by  Mill,  or  Little  river.  Until  within  a  few 
years  the  southern  portion  of  the  city  has  been  neglected  ; 
but  several  fine  mansion  houses  have  recently  been  erected 
in  this  quarter,  which  now  promises  to  rival,  if  not  excel, 
the  other  portions  of  the  city.  From  the  nature  of  the  soil, 
the  streets  must  always,  in  the  spring  season  of  the  year,  be 
liable  to  mud  ;  but  they  are  annually  improving.  The  first 
efficient  effort  to  improve  Main  street,  was  made  in  1790,  or 
1791,  "  when  the  town  voted  to  cover  it  with  stone,  and  an 
nually  appropriated  a  tax  of  four  pence  on  the  pound  for  that 
purpose  for  several  years."  A  vast  expense  has  been  incurred 
to  improve  the  streets,  especially  Main  street,  greatly  to  the 
credit  of  the  authorities  of  the  city. 

The  city  is  well  built,  and  contains  many  elegant  public 
and  private  edifices.  The  State  House,  in  which  are  the 
public  offices  of  the  State,  is  surmounted  with  a  cupola,  and 
is  a  handsome  and  spacious  building.  It  is  "  fifty  feet  in 
width,  fifty  in  height,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty  in  length. 

*  Historical  Collections. 


124  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 

HARTFORD. 

The  first  story  is  twenty  feet  high,  of  dark  brown  freestone, 
with  circular  breaks  over  each  window.  The  second  story 
is  ftventy,  and  the  third  ten  feet  high ;  and  the  division 
between  them  is  marked  by  a  band  of  freestone.  From  each 
front,  finished  with  iron  gates,  projects  an  open  arcade,  six 
teen  feet  wide  and  forty  long.  The  one  on  the  west  sup 
ports  a  second  and  third  story,  enclosed  and  finished,  like  the 
rest  of  the  building.  On  the  eastern  one  stands  a  Doric  por 
tico,  thirty  feet  high,  often  columns,  built  of  brick,  and  stuc 
coed  white.  On  the  first  floor  of  the  south  wing  are  four 
rooms,  occupied  as  offices  by  the  Treasurer  and  Comptrol 
ler.  The  north  contains  the  court  room,  of  forty  feet  diam 
eter.  Within  it  is  a  row  of  Doric  fluted  columns,  ten  feet 
from  the  wall,  supporting  the  floor  of  the  Representatives' 
room,  which  is  as  large  as  the  one  below,  and  thirty  feet  high, 
including  the  second  and  third  stories.  Ionic  pilasters  are 
between  each  window,  whose  entablature  and  balustrade 
reach  to  the  bottom  of  the  attic  windows,  and  on  the  south 
side  of  the  room  form  the  front  of  a  gallery  supported  by 
fluted  columns.  The  council  chamber  occupies  the  south 
wing  on  the  same  floor ;  is  of  the  same  size,  as  the  one  last 
described;  and  differs  from  it  only  in  being  without  a  gal 
lery,  and  having  in  the  place  of  pilasters  Corinthian  columns, 
whose  capitals  are  without  their  appropriate  leaves.  A 
double  flight  of  stairs  from  the  west  end  of  the  area  below, 
communicates  to  the  hall,  which  is  the  entrance  to  the  two 
large  rooms.  The  hall  is  forty  feet  by  twenty-five,  and  twen 
ty  high.  At  its  east  end  are  windows,  opening  from  the  floor 
to  the  portico  ;  and  at  the  west  are  doors,  communicating 
with  the  Secretary's  office,  and  with  the  spiral  stair  case, 
which  leads  to  the  gallery,  and  to  committee  rooms  in  the 
third  story,  over  the  Hall  and  the  Secretary's  office."*  With 
in  a  few  years,  the  appearance  of  this  edifice  has  been  great 
ly  improved. 

The  City  Hall,  built  for  city  purposes,  is  also  spacious 
and  elegant.  It  has  two  fronts,  with  porticos,  supported 
each  by  six  columns.  The  effect  of  this  building,  however, 
is  in  a  great  measure  lost,  from  its  confined  position  ;  on  a 
somewhat  higher  elevation,  and  with  open  grounds  around  it, 
it  would  produce  great  effect,  and  be  much  more  ornamental 
to  the  city. 

"Dwight's  Travels. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  125 

HARTFORD. 

"  The  city  has  fourteen  places  of  public  worship  :  four  for 
Con£regationalists,  two  Episcopal,  two  Baptist,  one  Methodist, 
one  Unitarian,  one  Universalist,  one  Roman  Catholic,  and  two 
African  ;  several  of  these  are  very  handsome,  and  the  Epis 
copal,  a  Gothic  edifice,  is  much  admired  for  its  elegance. 
There  are  five  banks,  and  a  bank  for  savings ;  three  fire  and 
marine  insurance  offices,  an  arsenal,  museum,  three  mar 
kets,"  &,c. 

In  the  immediate  vicinity,  are  located  the  American  Asy 
lum  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb,  the  Retreat  for  the  Insane,  and 
Trinity  College. 

The  Asylum  was  founded  by  an  association  of  gentlemen 
in  Hartford,  in  1815.  "  Their  attention  was  called  to  this 
important  charity,  by  a  case  of  deafness  in  the  family  of  one 
of  their  number.  An  interesting  child  of  the  late  Dr.  Cogs 
well,  who  had  lost  her  hearing  at  the  age  of  two  years,  and 
her  speech  soon  after,  was,  under  Providence,  the  cause  of 
its  establishment.  Her  father,  ever  ready  to  sympathize  with 
the  afflicted,  and  prompt  to  relieve  human  suffering,  embraced 
in  his  plans  for  the  education  of  his  own  daughter,  all  who 
miarht  be  similarly  unfortunate.  The  co-operation  of  the  be 
nevolent  was  easily  secured,  and  measures  were  taken  to  ob 
tain  from  Europe  a  knowledge  of  the  difficult  art,  unknown 
in  this  country,  of  teaching  written  language  through  the 
medium  of  signs,  to  the  deaf  and  dumb.  For  this  purpose, 
the  Rev.  Thomas  II.  Gallaudet  visited  England  and  Scotland, 
and  applied  at  the  institutions  in  those  countries  for  instruc 
tion  in  their  system,  but  meeting  with  unexpected  difficulties, 
he  repaired  to  France,  and  obtained  at  the  Royal  Institution 
at  Paris,  those  qualifications  for  an  instructor  of  the  deaf  and 
dumb,  which  a  selfish  and  mistaken  policy  had  refused  him 
in  Great  Britain.  Accompanied  by  Mr.  Samuel  Clerc,  him 
self  deaf  and  dumb,  and  for  several  years  a  successful  teach 
er  under  the  Abbe  Sicard,  Mr.  Gallaudet  returned  to  this 
country  in  August,  1816.  The  Asylum  had,  in  May 
preceding,  been  incorporated  by  the  State  Legislature.  Some 
months  were  spent  by  Messrs.  Gallaudet  and  Clerc,  in  ob 
taining  funds  for  the  benefit  of  the  Institution,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1817,  the  Asylum  was  opened  for  the  reception 
of  those  for  whom  it  was  designed,  and  the  course  of  in 
struction  commenced  with  seven  pupils. 

"  In   1819,  Congress  granted  the  Institution  a  township 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  127 


HARTFORD. 


of  land  in  Alabama,  the  proceeds  of  which  have  been  in 
vested  as  a  permanent  fund.  The  principal  building  was 
erected  in  1820,  and  the  pupils  removed  to  it  in  the  spring 
of  the  following  year.  It  is  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  long, 
fifty  feet  wide,  and,  including  the  basement,  four  stories  high. 
Other  buildings  have  been  subsequently  erected,  as  the  in 
creasing  number  of  pupils  made  it  necessary;  the  principal 
of  which  is  a  dining  hall  and  workshops  for  the  male  pupils. 
Attached  to  the  Institution  are  eight  or  ten  acres  of  land, 
which  afford  ample  room  for  exercise  and  the  cultivation 
of  vegetables  and  fruits  for  the  pupils. 

"Wadsworth  Atheneum,"  named  after  Daniel  Wadsworth, 
Esq.,  who  gave  the  spot  on  which  it  stands,  besides  a  large 
sum  towards  its  erection,  is  an  ornament  to  the  city.  It  oc 
cupies  a  commanding  situation  on  Main  street.  The  material 
used  in  its  construction  is  light  grey  granite.  The  style  of 
architecture  is  Gothic,  of  the  castellated  character.  It  is 
divided  into  three  equal  compartments,  one  of  which  is  occu 
pied  as  a  library  of  the  "Young  Men's  Institute,"  compre 
hending  at  present  about  10,000  volumes.  Another  room, 
appropriated  to  the  Fine  Arts,  contains  paintings  in  history, 
landscape,  and  portrait,  with  a  department  for  sculpture.  A 
third  compartment  accommodates  the  archives  of  the  Connec 
ticut  Historical  Society,  which  comprises  5,000  volumes,  be 
sides  multitudes  of  pamphlets  and  manuscripts. 

"  The  Retreat  for  the  Insane  commenced  its  operations 
on  the  15th  of  April,  1824.  The  edifice  is  situated  on  a 
commanding  eminence,  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  quar 
ter,  in  .a  south-westerly  direction,  from  the  State  House,  in 
Hartford.  The  elevation  overlooks  an  ample  range  of  fer 
tile  country,  presenting  on  every  side  a  most  interesting  land 
scape,  adorned  with  every  beauty  of  rural  scenery,  that  can 
be  found  in  rich  and  cultivated  fields,  and  meadows  of  un 
rivalled  verdure  ;  in  extensive  groves  and  picturesque  groups 
of  forest,  fruit  and  ornamental  trees  ;  and  above  all,  in  the 
charming  diversity  of  level,  sloping  and  undulating  surfaces 
terminating  by  distant  hills,  and  more  distant  mountains. 

"The  city  of  Hartford  is  conspicuously  seen  on  the  left, 
and  in  different  directions,  five  flourishing  villages,  rendered 
nearly  continuous  by  numerous  intervening  farm  houses. 
On  the  east,  the  prospect  is  enlivened  by  the  passing  and  re- 
passing  of  carriages  and  travellers,  on  the  two  principal 


128  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


HARTFORD. 


thoroughfares  of  the  country,  that  extend  along  the  front  of 
the  building,  one  at  the  distance  of  fifty  or  sixty  rods,  the 
other  within  three-fourths  of  a  mile.  Still  farther  eastward, 
but  within  a  mile  and  a  half,  the  prospect  is  frequently  en 
livened  by  the  splendid  show  of  passing  steamboats,  and  the 
white  sails  of  various  water  craft,  plying  up  and  down  the 
Connecticut  river,  which  is  distinctly  seen  in  many  long 
windings. 

"  The  edifice  for  the  accommodation  of  the  patients,  and 
those  who  have  the  care  of  them,  is  constructed  of  unhewn 
freestone,  covered  with  a  smooth  white  water  proof  cement. 
Its  style  of  architecture  is  perfectly  plain  and  simple,  and  in 
terests  only  by  its  symmetrical  beauty,  and  perhaps  by  the 
idea  it  impresses  of  durability  and  strength,  derived  from  the 
massy  solidity  of  its  materials — yet  notwithstanding  these,  its 
general  aspect  is  remarkably  airy  and  cheerful,  from  the  am 
plitude  of  its  lights,  and  the  brilliant  whiteness  of  its  exterior. 
The  whole  building  is  divided  into  commodious  and  spacious 
apartments,  adapted  to  various  descriptions  of  cases,  accor 
ding  to  their  sex,  nature  and  disease,  habits  of  life  and  the 
wishes  of  their  friends.  The  male  and  female  apartments 
are  entirely  separated,  and  either  sex  is  completely  secluded 
from  the  view  of  the  other.  Rooms  are  provided  in  both 
male  and  female  apartments,  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
sick,  where  they  are  removed  from  any  annoyance,  and  can 
continually  receive  the  kind  attentions  of  their  immediate  re 
lations  and  friends.  Attached  to  the  buildings,  are  about 
seventeen  acres  of  excellent  land,  the  principal  part  of  which 
is  laid  out  in  walks,  ornamental  grounds,  and  extensive  gar 
dens.  With  each  wing  and  block  of  the  building,  is  con 
nected  a  court  yard  encompassed  by  high  fences,  and 
handsomely  laid  out,  designed  to  afford  the  benefit  of  exer 
cise,  pastime,  and  fresh  air  to  those  who  cannot  safely  be  al 
lowed  to  range  abroad. 

"  Connected  with  the  Institution,  there  are  horses  and 
carriages,  which  are  appropriated  exclusively  to  the  benefit 
of  the  patients,  and  which  afford  them  much  pleasant  exer 
cise  and  amusement.  The  male  patients  frequently  employ 
themselves  in  the  garden,  and  amuse  themselves  at  the  back 
gammon  board,  draughts,  and  the  like.  The  female  pa 
tients  employ  themselves  in  sewing,  knitting,  drawing,  paint 
ing,  playing  on  the  piano,  and  other  amusements.  The  va 
rious  exercises  and  amusements  are  adapted  to  the  age,  sex, 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  129 


HARTKOUD. 


and  former  habits  of  the  patients;  and  in*  all  cases  the  two 
sexes  are  kept  entirely  separate.  There  is  a  library  in  the 
Retreat,  composed  of  light  and  agreeable  works,  and  several 
periodicals  and  newspapers  are  constantly  taken,  for  the 
perusal  of  which  the  inmates  manifest  much  fondness.  [On 
the  Sabbath,  those  that  are  in  a  proper  condition,  attend  re 
ligious  service,  conducted  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gallaudet,  at  pres 
ent,  1848,  chaplain  to  the  Institution.]  Every  thing  con 
nected  with  the  Institution  is  designed  to  make  it  a  pleasant 
and  agreeable  residence  for  all  its  inmates.''* 

Trftrity  College  was  founded  in  1826.  It  has  three  edi 
fices  of  freestone ;  two  148  feet  long  by  43  wide,  and  four 
stories  high,  containing  48  rooms ;  the  other  87  feet  by  55, 
and  three  stories  high,  containing  the  chapel,  library,  miner- 
alogical  cabinet,  philosophical  chamber,  laboratory  and  re 
citation  rooms.  There  are  5,000  volumes  in  the  college 
library,  and  2,509  in  the  libraries  of  the  different  societies. 
A  complete  philosophical  apparatus,  cabinet  of  minerals, 
and  botanical  garden  and  green  house,  belong  to  the  institu 
tion.  The  faculty  consists  of  a  president,  six  professors,  and 
two  tutors.  Students  about  60.  Commencement  first 
Thursday  in  August. f 

There  are  two  fine  bridges  in  the  city— one  across  the  Mill 
or  Little  river  connecting  the  northern  and  southern  por 
tions  of  the  city.  This  is  built  of  freestone,  and  is  100  feet 
wide,  supported  by  a  single  arch,  seven  feet  in  thickness  at  the 
base,  and  three  feet  three  inches  at  the  centre ;  the  chord  or 
span  of  which  is  104  feet.  The  elevation  from  the  bed  of 
the  river  to  the  top  of  the  arch  is  39  feet.  Another  bridge 
across  the  Connecticut  river,  1,099  feet  long,  and  which 
cost  over  $100,000,  unites  the  city  with  East  Hartford. 
Hartford  is  advantageously  situated  for  business.  An  ex 
tensive  and  wealthy  district  surrounds  it.  Steamboats,  in 
the  open  season,  daily  communicate  between  it  and  New 
York,  and  smaller  steamboats,  some  for  passengers  and 
others  for  towing  flat  boats,  ascend  the  river — the  former  to 
Springfield,  and  the  latter  as  far  as  Wells's  river,  220  miles 
above  the  city.  The  coasting  trade  is  considerable  ;  the  for- 

*  American  Magazine,  vol.  1, 1835. 


130  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


HARTFORD. 


eign  trade  not  extensive.  The  manufactures  of  the  city  ex 
ceed  8900,000  per  annum.  More  than  twice  as  many  books 
are  published  here  annually  as  are  manufactured  in  any  other 
place  of  equal  population  in  the  United  States.  The  popula 
tion  within  the  limits  of  the  city  in  the  year  1851,  was 
13,555. 

The  State  Assembly  meets  alternately  at  Hartford  and 
New  Haven  on  the  first  Wednesday  of  May — the  odd  years 
at  the  former  place.  Anterior  to  the  adoption  of  the  Con 
stitution  in  1818,  "  Election  Day  "  was  marked  by  various 
ceremonies,  which  rendered  the  day  one  of  great  gathering  and 
high  festivity.  Most  of  these,  however,  have  been  gradually 
dispensed  with.  The  clergy,  who  were  formerly  dined  at  the 
public  expense,  have  no  longer  that  provision  made  for  them. 
The  Governor's  Guards  have  met  with  a  similar  deprivation. 
The  Election  Sermon  is  heard  no  more,  and  for  several  years 
the  members  of  the  Assembly,  who  were  wont  to  march  in 
solemn  and  dignified  procession  to  the  house  of  God,  have 
formed  no  procession  at  all. 

Several  travellers  have  described  the  ceremonies  of  Elec 
tion  day,  as  they  were  observed  in  the  "olden  time,"  till  the 
era  spoken  of  above.  We  select  the  following  from  Ken 
dall's  Travels,  1808,  as  a  substantially  correct  account  of 
these  days,  which  were  wont  to  infuse  animation  into  the  man 
of  threescore  years  and  ten,  and  filled  the  stripling  with  joys, 
which  he  felt  but  once  in  a  year. 

"I  reached  Hartford,"  says  this  traveller,  "at  noon,  on 
Wednesday,  the  19th  of  May,  1807.  The  city  is  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Connecticut,  fifty  miles  above  its  mouth. 
The  governor,  whose  family  residence  is  on  the  east  side  of 
the  river,  at  some  distance  from  Hartford,  was  expected  to 
arrive  in  the  evening.  This  gentleman,  whose  name  is  Jona 
than  Trumbull,  is  the  son  of  the  late  governor  Jonathan 
Trumbull ;  and  though  the  election  is  annual,  he  has  himself 
been  three  or  four  years  in  office,  and  will  almost  certainly 
so  continue  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  It  was  known 
that  the  votes  at  this  time  were  in  his  favor. 

'*  The  governor  has  volunteer  companies  of  guards,  both 
horse  and  foot.  In  the  afternoon  the  horse  were  drawn  up 
on  the  bank  of  the  river,  to  receive  him,  and  escort  him  to 
his  lodgings.  He  came  before  sunset,  and  the  fineness  of 
the  evening,  the  beauty  of  the  river,  the  respectable  appear- 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  131 


HARTKORD. 


ance  of  the  governor,  and  of  the  troop,  the  dignity  of  the  oc 
casion,  and  the  decorum  observed,  united  to  gratify  the  spec 
tators.  The  color  of  the  clothes  of  the  troops  was  blue. 
The  governor,  though  on  horseback,  was  dressed  in  black, 
but  he  wore  a  cockade  in  a  hat,  which  I  did  not  like  the 
less,  because  it  was  in  the  form  rather  of  the  old  school  than 
of  the  new. 

"  In  the  morning,  the  foot  guards  were  paraded  in  front  of 
the  State  House,  where  they  afterwards  remained  under 
arms,  while  the  troop  of  horse  occupied  the  street  which  is 
on  the  south  side  of  the  building.  The  clothing  of  the  foot 
was  scarlet,  with  white  waistcoats  and  pantaloons ;  and 
their  appearance  and  demeanor  were  military. 

"  The  day  was  fine,  and  the  apartments  and  galleries  of 
the  State  House  afforded  an  agreeable  place  of  meeting,  in 
which  the  members  of  the  Assembly  and  others  awaited  the 
coming  of  the  governor.  At  about  eleven  o'clock,  his  ex 
cellency  entered  the  State  House,  and  shortly  after  took  his 
place  at  the  head  of  a  procession,  which  was  made  to  a  meet 
ing  house  or  church,  at  something  less  than  half  a  mile  dis 
tant.  The  procession  was  on  foot,  find  was  composed  of  the 
person  of  the  governor,  together  with  the  lieutenant  gover 
nor,  assistants,  high  sheriffs,  members  of  the  lower  house  of 
the  assembly,  and,  unless  with  accidental  exceptions,  all  the 
clergy  of  the  State.  It  was  preceded  by  the  foot  guards,,  and 
followed  by  the  horse  ;  and  attended  by  gazers,  that,  consid 
ering  the  size  and  population  of  the  city,  may  be  said  to  have 
been  numerous.  The  church,  which  from  its  situation  is 
called  the  South  Meeting  House,  is  a  small  one,  and  was  re 
sorted  to  on  this  occasion,  only  because  that  more  ordinari 
ly  used  was  at  this  time  rebuilding.  The  edifice  is  of  wood, 
alike  unornamented  within  and  without ;  and  when  filled,  there 
was  still  presented  to  the  eye  nothing  but  what  had  the  plainest 
appearance.  The  military  remained  in  the  street,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  a  few  officers,  to  whom  no  place  of  honor  or  dis 
tinction  was  assigned ;  neither  the  governor  nor  other 
magistrates  were  accompanied  with  any  insignia  of  office ; 
the  clergy  had  no  canonical  costume,  and  there  were  no  fe 
males  in  the  church,  except  a  few,  (rather  more  than  twenty 
in  number,)  who  were  stationed  by  themselves  in  a  gallery  op 
posite  the  pulpit,  in  quality  of  singers.  A  decent  order  was 
the  highest  characteristic  that  presented  itself. 

"  The  pulpit,  or,  as  it   is  here  called,  the  desk,  was  filled 


132  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


HARTFORD . 


by  three,  if  not  four  clergymen;  a  number  by  its  form  and 
dimensions  it  was  able  to  accommodate.  Of  these,  one 
opened  the  service  with  a  prayer,  another  delivered  a  ser 
mon,  a  third  made  a  concluding  prayer,  and  a  fourth  pro 
nounced  a  benediction.  Several  hymns  were  sung ;  and 
among  others,  an  occasional  one.  The  total  number  of 
singers  was  between  forty  and  fifty. 

"  The  sermon,  as  will  be  supposed,  touched  upon  mat 
ters  of  government.  When  all  was  finished,  the  procession 
returned  to  the  State  House.  The  clergy  who  walked  were 
about  a  hundred  in  number. 

"  It  was  in  the  two  bodies  of  guards  alone,  that  any  suita 
ble  approach  to  magnificence  discovered  itself.  The  gov 
ernor  was  full  dressed,  in  a  suit  of  black  ;  but  the  lieutenant 
governor  wore  riding  boots.  All,  however,  was  consistently 
plain,  and  in  unison  with  itself,  except  the  dress  swords, 
which  were  worn  by  high  sheriffs,  along  with  their  village 
habiliments,  and  of  which  the  fashion  and  the  materials 
were  marvelously  diversified.  Arrived  in  front  of  the 
State  House,  the  military  formed  on  each  side  of  the  street; 
and  as  the  governor  passed  them,  presented  arms.  The  sev 
eral  parts  of  the  procession  now  separated,  each  to  a  dinner 
prepared  for  itself  at  an  adjoining  inn  ;  the  governor,  lieu 
tenant  governor,  and  assistants  to  their  table,  the  clergy  to 
a  second,  and  the  representatives  to  a  third.  The  time  of 
day  was  about  two  in  the  afternoon. 

"  Only  a  short  time  elapsed  before  business  was  resumed, 
or  rather  at  length  commenced.  The  General  Assembly 
met  in  the  council  room,  and  the  written  votes  being  exam 
ined  and  counted,  the  names  of  the  public  officers  elected 
were  formally  declared.  They  were  in  every  instance  the 
same  as  those  which  had  been  successful  the  preceding  year. 

"  This  done,  the  lieutenant  governor  administered  the 
oath  to  the  governor  elect,  who,  being  sworn,  proceeded  to 
administer  their  respective  oaths  to  the  lieutenant  governor 
and  the  rest  ;  and  here  terminated  the  affairs  of  the  election 
day.  Soon  after  six  o'clock,  the  military  fired  three  feu  de 
joies,  and  were  then  dismissed. 

"  On  the  evening  following  that  of  election  day,  there  is 
an  annual  ball  at  Hartford,  called  the  election  ball  ;  and  on 
the  succeeding  Monday,  a  second,  which  is  more  select. 
The  election  day  is  a  holiday  throughout  the  State  ;  and  even 
the  whole  remainder  of  the  week  is  regarded  in  a  similar 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  133 

NEW  HAVEN. 

light.  Servants  and  others  are  now  indemnified  for  the  loss 
of  the  festivals  of  Christmas,  Easter,  and  Whitsuntide,  which 
the  principles  of  their  Church  deny  them.  Families  ex 
change  visits,  and  treat  their  guests  with  slices  of  election 
cake  ;  and  thus  preserve  some  portion  of  the  luxuries  of  the 
forgotten  feast  of  the  Epiphany.  The  whole  day,  like  the 
morning,  and  like  the  evening  which  preceded  it,  was  fine. 
In  Hartford,  the  degree  of  bustle  was  sufficient  to  give  an 
air  of  importance  to  the  scene;  a  scene  that, taken  altogether, 
was  not  unfitted  to  leave  on  the  mind  a  pleasing  and  respect 
ful  impression." 


NEW  HAVEN. 

The  first  knowledge  which  the  English  appear  to  have  ob 
tained  of  the  beautiful  territory,  on  which  New  Haven  stands, 
was  in  the  year  1637,  when,  in  the  prosecution  of  the  Pe- 
quot  war,  a  party  of  English  troops  pursued  Sassacus,  the 
great  sachem  of  that  tribe,  and  his  warriors,  in  their  flight, 
as  far  as  Fairfield.  It  is  not  improbable  that  the  spot  had 
been  previously  visited  by  the  Dutch,  from  New  York.  No 
attempt,  however,  had  been  made  by  them  to  settle.  It  was 
still  in  possession  of  an  Indian  tribe,  called  the  Quinnipiacs, 
which  name  seems  to  have  been  given,  not  only  to  the  terri 
tory  itself,  but  also  to  the  river,  now  called  Wallingford 
river,  and  which  forms  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  township. 

On  the  30th  of  March,  1638,  a  small  colony,  led  by  Mr. 
Davenport,  Mr.  Prudden,  Mr.  Samuel  Eaton,  and  Theophi- 
lus  Eaton,  Esq.  sailed  from  Boston,  for  duinnipiac.  After 
a  fortnight's  voyage,  they  reached  their  destined  port.  The 
first  Sabbath  after  their  arrival,  the  people  assembled  under 
a  large  spreading  oak.  Here  they  invoked  the  blessing  of 
that  God  who  had  preserved  them  amid  the  perils  of  the 
deep,  and  here  they  listened  to  such  directions  and  exhorta 
tions  as  their  pious  minister,  Mr.  Davenport,  thought  pertin 
ent  to  their  state. 

In  November  following,  Theophilus  Eaton,  Esq.,  Mr. 
Davenport,  and  the  other  English  planters,  entered  into  arti 
cles  of  agreement  with  Momauguin,  sole  sachem  of  Q,uinni- 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  135 


NEW  HAVEN. 


piac,  by  which  the  said  sachem  transferred  the  territory  to 
the  English,  for  which  the  latter  agreed  to  protect  the  sachem 
and  his  Indians,  and  gave  twelve  coats  of  English  cloth, 
twelve  alchemy  spoons,  twelve  hatchets,  twelve  hoes,  two 
dozen  of  knives,  twelve  porringers,  and  four  cases  of  French 
knives  and  scissors. 

The  New  Haven  colonies  were,  perhaps,  the  most  wealthy 
company,  which  emigrated  to  New  England.  The  tract  of 
land  selected  for  their  residence  was  singularly  level,  and 
beautiful,  and  susceptible  of  being  laid  out  in  regular 
squares.  The  centre  of  the  town  was  occupied  by  a  large 
square,  which  was  encompassed  by  nine  others. 

The  city  lies  at  the  head  of  a  harbor,  which  sets  up  four 
miles  from  Long  Island  Sound.  Its  latitude  is  40°  18'  north  ; 
longitude  72°  56'  west.  It  is  76  miles  from  New  York  ;  34 
from  Hartford  ;  134  from  Boston  ;  and  301  from  Wash 
ington. 

"  There  is  nothing  in  Britain,"  says  Mr.  Duncan,  "  that 
bears  any  resemblance  to  a  New  England  town,  and  it  is  not 
easy  to  convey  an  idea  of  its  singular  neatness.  The  houses 
are  generally  of  wood,  painted  white,  and  decorated  with 
Venetian  blinds,  of  a  brilliant  green.  The  solid  framework 
of  the  walls  is  covered  externally  with  thin  planks,  called  by 
Americans,  clapboards,  which  overlap  each  other  from  the 
eaves  downwards,  and  serve  effectually  to  exclude  rain.  The 
roofs  are  covered  with  shingles,  which  are  thin  slips  of  wood, 
put  on  like  slates,  and  painted  with  a  dark  blue.  The  buildings 
are,  in  general,  about  two  stories  in  height ;  the  door  is  dec 
orated  with  a  neat  portico  ;  and  very  frequently  a  projecting 
piazza,  most  grateful  in  hot  weather,  with  benches  under  it, 
extends  along  the  whole  front  of  the  house.  Mouldings  and 
minute  decorations  of  various  kinds  are  carried  round  the 
principal  projections.  A  garden  is  not  unfrequent  behind, 
and  a  neat  wooden  railing  in  front,  inclosing  a  grass  plot 
and  a  few  trees.  Such  houses  would  soon  look  rusty  and 
weather-beaten  were  they  in  our  climate  ;  but  they  enjoy  here 
a  purer  atmosphere,  and  the  smoke  of  coal  fire  is  unknown. 
The  painting  is  renewed  once  a  year,  which  serves  to  preserve 
the  wood  for  a  long  time.  The  churches,  or  meeting  houses, 
as  they  are  more  generally  called,  are,  in  the  smaller  towns,  al 
so  of  wood,  and  with  the  addition  of  a  steeple  and  a  gilt  weath 
ercock,  resemble  very  much  the  other  buildings.  In  the 


136  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


NEW   HAVEN. 


large  towns  they  are  of  brick  or  stone,  but  retain  generally 
the  green  Venetian  blinds  upon  the  windows.  The  streets 
are  wide,  and  run  off,  at  right  angles  to  each  other,  from  a 
large  open  square,  covered  with  green  turf,  in  the  centre  of 
the  town  ;  the  churches,  townhouse,  and  an  inn  or  two  not 
unfrequently  front  this  green.  Gravel  walks  skirt  many  of 
the  streets,  and  occasionally  rows  of  limes  or  poplars.  The 
agreeable  succession  of  gardens,  grass  plots,  trees,  foot 
walks,  and  buildings,  gives  an  air  of  rural  qiMetness  to  the 
town  ;  and  the  open  space  which  frequently  intervenes  be 
tween  one  house  and  another,  prevents  much  of  the  danger 
which  would  otherwise  arise  from  fire.  Every  thing  be 
tokens  an  unusual  share  of  homely  simplicity  and  comfort, 
and  the  absence  at  once  of  great  riches  and  of  great  poverty. 

"  New  Haven  possesses  most  of  the  distinctive  peculiari 
ties  which  I  have  now  noticed,  but  combines  with  them 
much  of  what  we  usually  consider  inseparable  from  a  town. 
The  churches,  and  a  great  many  of  the  dwelling  houses,  are 
of  brick,  a  few  even  of  stone,*  and  two  or  three  of  the  streets 
are  closely  built.  The  numerous  buildings  of  Yale  College, 
all  of  brick,  and  constructed  with  a  regularity  and  neatness, 
complete  its  claims  to  superiority. 

"  The  country  round  New  Haven  is  very  picturesque. 
Behind  the  town,  at  a  distance  of  about  two  miles,  is  an  am 
phitheatre  of  rugged  hills,  not  unlike  some  of  our  Scottish 
scenery  ;  in  front  is  an  inlet  from  Long  Island  Sound,  afford 
ing  a  safe  and  commodious  harbor ;  to  the  right  and  left,  a 
richly  cultivated  country,  relieved  by  patches  of  forest;  and, 
in  wide  expanse  before  it,  the  blue  waves  of  the  sea  rolling 
in  magnificence.  Two  large  precipices,  called  East  and 
West  Rock,  400  feet  high,  and  about  two  miles  apart,  form 

*  The  original  churches  in  New  Haven  are  described  by  Dr.  Dwight, 
as  "  barely  decent  structures  ;  "  but  in  181ii,  all  the  congregations  voted 
that  they  would  take  down  their  churches,  and  build  new  ones.  Accord 
ingly,  two  of  them  commenced  the  work  in  1813,  and  a  third  in  1814. 
Tln'se  three  are  all  placed  on  the  western  side  of  Temple  street,  which  is 
1(K)  feet  wide,  facing  an  open  square.  "  The  Presbyterian  churches  are 
of  Grecian  architecture.  The  Episcopal  church  is  a  Gothic  building, 
the  only  correct  specimen,  it  is  believed,  in  the  United  States.  Few 
structures  devoted  to  the  same  purpose,  on  this  side  the  Atlantic,  are 
equally  handsome."  In  one  of  the  Congregational  or  Presbyterian 
churches,  Mr.  Duncan  says,  an  organ  has  been  introduced,  but  with  a 
special  stipulation  that  no  voluntary  shall  be  allowed  to  break  in  upon 
the  solemnity  of  worship. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  137 


NEW    HAVEN. 


part  of  the  semicircular  range.  They  are  prominent  features 
in  the  landscape ;  and  events  in  the  annals  of  our  native 
country,  with  which  they  are  associated,  impart  to  them  that 
traditional  charm,  which  is  so  often  wanting  in  American 
scenery.  In  the  fastnesses  of  these  rocks,  some  of  the  regi 
cides  of  Charles  I.  found  shelter  from  their  pursuers,  when 
the  agents  of  his  profligate  son  hunted  them  for  their  lives." 

Of  the  individuals  referred  to,  President  Dwight  has 
communicate^  some  highly  interesting  particulars.  About 
three  miles  N.  E.  from  Northampton,  in  the  Connecticut 
valley,  and  90  miles  from  due  W.  of  Boston,  is  the  little  town 
of  Hadley.  "  In  this  town,"  says  the  learned  writer,  "  re 
sided  for  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  the  celebrated  regicides, 
Goffe  and  Whallcy.  They  came  hither  in  the  year  1654, 
and  lived  in  the  house  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Russell,  the  minister. 
Whalley  died  in  his  house.  Some  years  since,  the  house 
was  pulled  down  by  Mr.  Gaylord,  the  proprietor,  when  the 
bones  of  Whalley  were  found  buried  just  without  the  cellar 
wall,  in  a  kind  of  tomb  of  mason  work,  and  covered  with 
flags  of  hewn  stone.  After  his  decease,  Goffe  quitted  Had 
ley,  arid  went  into  Connecticut,  and  afterwards,  according  to 
tradition,  to  the  neighborhood  of  New  York.  Here  he  is 
said  to  have  lived  some  time,  and  the  better  to  disguise  him 
self,  to  have  carried  vegetables  at  times  to  market.  It  is 
said,  that,  having  been  discovered  here,  he  retired  secretly  to 
the  colony  of  Rhode  Island,  and  there  lived  with  the  son  of 
Whalley,  the  remainder  of  his  life."  The  following  story  has 
been  traditionally  conveyed  down  among  the  inhabitants  of 
Hadley  : 

"  In  the  course  of  Philip's  war,  which  involved  almost  all 
the  Indian  tribes  in  New  England,  and,  among  others,  those 
in  the  neighborhood  of  this  town,  the  inhabitants  thought  it 
proper  to  observe  the  1st  of  September,  1675,  as  a  day  of 
fasting  and  prayer.  While  they  were  in  the  church,  and  em 
ployed  in  their  worship,  they  were  surprised  by  a  band  of 
savages.  The  people  instantly  betook  themselves  to  their 
arms,  which,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  times,  they  had 
carried  with  them  to  the  church ;  and,  rushing  out,  attacked 
their  invaders.  The  panic  under  which  they  began  the  con 
flict,  was,  however,  so  great,  and  their  number  was  so  dispro- 
portioned  to  that  of  their  enemies,  that  they  fought  doubtfully 
at  first,  and  in  a  short  time  began  evidently  to  give  way.  At 
this  moment,  an  ancient  man,  with  hoary  locks,  of  a  most 


138  TRAVELS  AND    SKETCHES 


NEW    HAVEN. 


venerable  and  dignified  aspect,  and  in  address  widely  differ 
ing  from  that  of  the  inhabitants,  appeared  suddenly  at  their 
head,  and  with  a  firm  voice  and  an  example  of  undaunted 
resolution,  reanimated  their  courage,  led  them  again  to  the 
conflict,  and  totally  routed  the  savages.  When  the  battle 
was  ended,  the  stranger  disappeared,  and  no  one  knew 
whence  he  had  come,  or  whither  he  had  gone.  The  relief 
was  so  timely,  so  sudden,  so  unexpected,  so  providential  ; 
the  appearance  and  retreat  of  him,  who  had  furnished  it, 
were  so  unaccountable ;  his  person  was  so  dignified  and 
commanding,  his  resolution  so  superior,  and  his  interference 
so  decisive,  that  the  inhabitants,  without  any  uncommon  ex 
ercise  of  credulity,  readily  believed  him  to  be  an  angel  sent 
from  heaven  for  their  preservation.  Nor  was  this  opinion 
seriously  controverted,  until  it  was  discovered,  years  after 
wards,  that  Goffe  and  Whalley  had  been  lodged  in  the  house 
of  Mr.  Russell.  Then  it  was  known  that  their  deliverer  was 
Goffe  ;  Whalley  having  become  superannuated  some  time 
before  the  event  took  place.  There  is  an  obscure  and  very 
doubtful  tradition,  that  Goffe  also  was  buried  here." 

Colonel  DijTwc/l,  another  of  the  king's  judges,  we  learn 
from  other  authority,  found  shelter  also  in  America  "  He 
visited  his  fellow  exiles  in  their  concealment,  and  being  him 
self  unknown,  settled  and  married  at  New  Haven,  under  the 
name  of  James  Dowds.  By  that  name,  he  signed  his  will, 
but  there  he  adds  to  it  his  own.  His  tombstone  is  shewn  at 
New  Haven  with  only  the  initials  '  J.  D.  Esq.  deceased 
March  ISth,  in  the  82d  year  of  his  age,  16S3.'  Another  stone, 
with  the  initials  '  E.  W.  Esqr.'  is  traditionally  supposed  to 
mark  the  grave  of  Whalley  : — if  it  be  so,  his  bones  must 
have  been  removed  there  by  Dixwell  ;  an  affecting  act  of  pi 
ous  friendship." 

"  I  have  seen  both  the  gravestones  alluded  to,"  says  Mr. 
Duncan  ;  "  they  still  stand  in  the  old  burying  ground,  be 
hind  one  of  the  churches.  The  inscription  on  the  first  is  in 
rude  characters,  and  is  thus  arranged  : 

j.  D.  ESQ. 

DECEASED    MARCH     YE 

18    IN    YE    82D    YEAR    OF 

HIS    AGE,    1688-9. 

"  The  other  stone,  which  has  been  supposed  to  commem- 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  139 


NEW    HAVEN. 


orate  Whalley,  must  have  been  erected  over  some  other  per 
son  whose  name  and  history  have  been  lost ;  for  the  date, 
which  has  generally  been  read,  1688  is,  in  reality,  1658.  The 
mistake  has  arisen  from  a  slight  injury  which  the  stone  has 
received,  and  which  has  imparted  to  the  figure  5  something 
of  the  shape  of  8,  although  it  is  still  quite  possible  to  deci 
pher  its  original  form.  None  of  these  relics  will  long  survive. 
The  ancient  burying  ground  is  no  longer  used  ;  the  fence 
round  it  has  gone  to  decay  ;  and  the  moss-grown  gravestones 
are  rapidly  disappearing  under  the  dilapidating  attacks  of 
idlers,  who  are  daily  defacing  these  frail  memorials  of  the 
dust,  which  sleep  below. 

"  The  new  cemetery,  which  has  sprung  from  the  ashes  of 
the  old  one,  in  simplicity  of  arrangement,  and  elegance  of 
monumental  decoration,  leaves  at  a  great  distance  all  others 
that  1  have  any  whore  seen.  It  is  in  shape  an  oblong  square, 
divided  by  a  regular  succession  of  avenues,  crossing  each 
other  at  right  angles,  and  skirted  by  rows  of  Lombardy 
poplars.  The  divisions,  which  are  thus  formed,  are  subdi 
vided  into  spaces  sufficient  for  family  burying  places,  which 
are  surrounded  with  a  neat  wooden  railing,  painted  white. 
There  is  scarcely  a  grave,  which  has  not  a  monument  of  one 
kind  or  other ;  and  with  the  exception  of  those  transferred 
from  the  old  burying  ground,  they  are  almost  universally  of 
white  or  green  marble.  Some  of  those  of  white  marble  were 
executed  in  Italy.  The  green  marble  is  found  about  two 
miles  otf,  and  is  thought  by  some  to  bear  a  close  resemblance 
to  the  verd  antique.  The  monuments  consist  of  obelisks, 
tables,  and  upright  slabs  at  the  head  and  foot  of  the  grave. 
The  obelisks  are  ranged  in  the  centre  of  the  principal  sub 
division,  in  parallel  rows,  and  at  right  angles  to  each  other. 
The  inscriptions,  which  are  cut  on  the  white  marble,  are 
generally  painted  black  ;  those  on  the  green  are  gilt,  and 
have  a  very  rich  effect. 

"  While  the  monuments  in  the  old  burying  ground  seem 
devoted  to  ruin,  those  in  the  new  one,  although  accessible 
to  every  passenger,  are  treated  with  the  most  scrupulous  re 
spect.  A  neat  fence  surrounds  the  cemetery  ;  but  open 
ings  are  left  at  regular  intervals,  from  which  numerous  foot 
walks  cross  the  ground.  The  soil  is  composed  of  a  light 
sand,  and  shoots  from  the  poplars  are  springing  up  so  numer 
ously,  that  they  threaten  to  overrun  it.  Except  the  slight 
wooden  railing,  there  is  no  kind  of  fence  round  the  graves  < 


140  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


NEW    HAVKN. 


they  are  altogether  free  from  those  unsightly  cages  of  cast 
iron,  by  which  our  burying  grounds  in  Glasgow  are  dis 
figured,  and  the  enclosures  are  not  defaced  by  those  quaint 
emblems  of  mortality  and  grief,  which  so  often,  with  us,  be 
tray  the  bad  taste  of  the  proprietors.  A  becoming  respect  is 
shewn  to  the  memory  of  the  departed  ;  arid  an  air  of  im 
pressive  solemnity  pervades  the  whole  enclosure,  which  is  not 
counteracted  by  any  of  those  lugubrious,  and  not  unfre- 
quently  ludicrous  allegorical  devices,  and  misapplied  quota 
tions  from  Scripture,  which  meet  us  at  every  step  in  our  more 
ancient  repositories  of  the  dead.  I  have  visited  every  shrine 
in  Westminster  Abbey,  arid  have  heard  the  marble  hearted 
verger  dole  out,  in  monotonous  cadence,  the  dreary  cata 
logue  of  names,  which  are  entombed  and  commemorated 
there.  The  damp  of  the  long  drawn  aisles  chilled  me  to 
the  heart  ;  and  I  trod  over  the  ashes  of  monarchs,  barons, 
and  crusading  knights,  whose  sculptured  figures,  scattered 
around,  were  covered  with  the  mutilations  and  dust  of  many 
generations  ;  yet  I  doubt  whether  sympathy  with  my  kindred 
dust  was  as  strongly  excited  there,  as  in  the  burying  ground 
at  New  Haven."* 

The  population  of  New  Haven  in  1850  was  20,345.  By 
these  the  New  England  character,  Mr.  Duncan  remarks,  is 
very  favorably  exhibited.  The  simplicity  and  sincerity  of 
the  ancient  Puritans  may  still  be  seen  strongly  marked  in 
their  descendants.  Plain  and  frugal  in  their  domestic  habits, 
they  exhibit  little  of  that  artificial  polish,  which,  like  varnish, 
frequently  disguises  very  worthless  materials,  and  a  stranger 
is  not  mortified  by  professions  without  services,  and  show 
without  substance. 

The  area  occupied  by  the  -city  is  probably  as  large  as 
that  which  usually  contains  a  city  of  six  times  the  number 
of  inhabitants  in  Europe.  Many  of  the  houses  have  court 
yards  in  front,  and  gardens  in  the  rear.  The  former  are  or 
namented  with  trees  and  shrubs ;  the  latter  are  filled  with 
fruit  trees,  flowers  and  culinary  vegetables.  The  houses  are 
generally  two  stories  high,  built  of  wood,  in  a  neat,  hand 
some,  but  not  expensive  style.  Many  of  those  recently 
erected,  however,  are  good  and  substantial  edifices  of  brick 

*  Duncan's  Travels. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  141 


NKW    HAVEN. 


and  stone.  The  public  edifices  are,  the  college  building; 
twelve  churches,  viz.  six  Congregational,  two  Episcopal,  two 
Methodists,  one  Baptist,  arid  one  Roman  Catholic  ;  a  Ton 
tine,  a  State  House,  a  Gaol,  four  Banks,  a  Custom  House, 
and  a  State  Hospital. 

The  chief  ornament  and  attraction  of  New  Haven  re 
mains  to  be  noticed, — its  college,  the  rival  of  Harvard  Uni 
versity  in  literary  respectability,  and  honorably  distinguished 
from  it  by  the  orthodoxy  of  its  religious  character.  The 
buildings  of  Yale  College  make  a  conspicuous  appearance, 
when  entering  the  town  eastward  ;  and  the  effect  is  consid 
erably  heightened  by  three  churches,  which  stand  at  a  little 
distance  in  front,  in  a  parallel  line.  The  ground  between 
the  college  and  the  churches,  is  neatly  divided  and  enclosed 
and  ornamented  with  trees.  Including  passage  ways  the 
principal  edifices  present  a  front  of  upwards  of  800  feet. 
The  buildings  are  chiefly  constructed  of  brick,  arid  consist 
of  five  spacious  edifices,  each  four  stories  high,  one  hundred 
and  four  feet  by  forty,  containing  thirty-two  studies  ;  a  chapel 
for  religious  worship,  and  ordinary  public  exhibitions  ;  a 
Lyceum,  containing  the  library  and  recitation  rooms  ;  an 
Athenscum  ;  a  Chemical  Laboratory  ;  an  extensive  stone 
Dining  Hall,  containing  also  in  the  upper  story,  apartments 
for  the  mineralogical  cabinet ;  a  separate  Dining  Hall  for 
Theological  Students;  a  dwelling  house  for  the  President; 
a  large  stone  building  occupied  by  the  medical  department ; 
and  the  Trumbull  Gallery,  a  neat  and  appropriate  building 
erected  as  a  repository  for  the  valuable  historical  and  other 
paintings  of  Col.  Trumbull. 

Yale  College  was  originally  established  at  Saybrook,  in 
the  year  1700,  and  was  incorporated  by  the  colonial  legisla 
ture  in  the  following  year.  The  project  of  establishing  a 
college  in  Connecticut,  appears  to  have  been  seriously  enter 
tained  fifty  years  before;  but  it  was  checked,  Dr.  Dwight  in 
forms  us,  by  well  founded  circumstances  by  the  people  of 
Massachusetts,  who  justly  urged  that  the  whole  population 
of  New  England  was  scarcely  sufficient  to  support  one  in 
stitution  of  this  nature,  and  that  the  establishment  of  a  second 
would  endanger  the  prosperity  of  both  ;  these  objections 
put  a  stop  to  the  design  for  the  time ;  it  was  not,  however,  lost 
sight  of.  In  1718,  the  infant  Institution  was  removed  by  the 
Trustees  to  New  Haven.  It  was  originally  intended  simply 


142  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


NEW    HAVK.V. 


for  the  education  of  young  men  for  the  ministry :  but,  as  it 
gathered  strength  from  individual  liberality  and  public  pat 
ronage,  the  range  of  its  plan  of  study  was  gradually  extended, 
until  it  now  embraces  the  more  essential  parts  of  a  complete 
literary,  scientific,  and  medical  education. 

The  college  received  its  name,  in  commemoration  of  the 
beneficence  of  the  Honorable  Elihu  Yale,  a  son  of  one  of  the 
first  settlers,  who  went  to  England  in  early  life,  and  thence 
to  India,  where  he  became  governor  to  Madras  ;  and  on  his 
return  .to  England,  he  was  elected  governor  of  the  East  In 
dia  Company.  From  this  gentleman  the  college  received 
donations  at  various  times,  between  1714  and  1718,  to  the 
amount  of  .£500  sterling;  and  a  short  time  before  his  death, 
he  directed  another  benefaction  to  the  same  amount  to  be 
transmitted,  but  it  was  never  received.  Another  of  its  early 
benefactors  was  the  celebrated  Dean  Berkeley,  afterwards 
Bishop  of  Cloyne,  who  came  to  America  in  1732,  for  the  pur 
pose  of  establishing  a  college  in  the  island  of  Bermuda ;  a  pro 
ject  to  which  he  nobly  sacrificed  considerable  property,  as  well 
as  time  and  labor.  His  efforts  being  frustrated  by  the  failure  of 
the  promised  support  from  government,  he  presented  to  this 
Institution  a  farm  which  he  had  purchased  in  Rhode  Island, 
and  afterwards  transmitted  to  it  from  England  a  very  valua 
ble  collection  of  books — "  the  finest  that  ever  came  together 
at  one  time  into  America."  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  and  many 
other  distinguished  men,  presented  their  works  to  the  library. 

Although  founded  under  the  sanction  of  the  colonial  legis 
lature,  and  partly  endowed  by  it,  the  college  was  for  a  long 
time  indebted  for  its  support  chiefly  to  individual  patronage  : 
the  whole  amount  bestowed  by  the  colonial  legislature, 
during  the  first  ninety  years  of  its  existence,  did  not  much 
exceed  <£4,500  sterling.  But  when  the  Federal  Government 
was  consolidated,  a  grant  was  made,  in  1792,  to  Yale  Col 
lege,  out  of  a  fund  created  by  uncollected  arrears  of  war  tax 
es,  by  which  ultimately  60,000  dollars  were  realized. 

The  library  of  the  college  has  recently  been  much  en 
larged  by  the  addition  of  many  valuable  volumes,  selected  by 
Prof.  Kingsley,  who  visited  Europe  with  reference  to  that 
selection.  The  libraries  of  the  different  societies  receive  fre 
quent  additions;  At  present  the  libraries  belonging  to  the 
institution  form  an  aggregate  of  from  30,000  to  40,000  vol. 
umes.  The  college  possesses  the  richer  mineralogical  cabinet 
on  the  continent.  This  cabinet  originally  belonged  to  Colonel 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  143 


NEW    HAVEN. 


George  Gibbs,  who  deposited  it  in  this  seminary  in  1811.  It 
contained  24,000  specimens.  In  1825  it  was  purchased  of 
Colonel  Gibbs,  at  the  price  of  $20,000  ;  of  which  sum  the 
officers  of  Yale  College,  and  the  citizens  of  New  Haven, 
contributed  ten  thousand  dollars  ;  the  citizens  of  New  York, 
three  thousand  dollars;  the  alumni  of  South  Carolina  seven 
hundred  dollars,  and  an  individual  five  hundred  dollars. 
Several  thousand  specimens,  chiefly  domestic,  have  since 
been  added  by  various  donors. 

To  the  east  of  the  original  city,  but  within  the  nine  ori 
ginal  squares  and  Mill  river,  lies  the  New  Township.  Within 
a  few  years,  this  part  of  the  city  has  rapidly  increased.  Still 
further  east,  at  the  distance  of  two  miles,  but  within  the 
present  city  limits,  is  Fair  Haven.  It  is  on  both  sides  of  the 
Quinnipiac,  and  contains  about  1,000  inhabitants.  It  is  cele 
brated  for  its  oyster  business,  which  is  conducted  on  a  large 
scale,  as  appears  from  a  recent  statement  of  a  public  journal. 
From  the  19th  of  September,  1846,  to  the  25th  of  May,  1847, 
a  period  of  about  8  months,  there  were  imported  231  cargoes 
of  oysters.  These  cargoes  contained  313,266  bushels,  and 
were  sold  for  the  sum  of  $123,944  55.  In  addition  to  this, 
there  were  16  cargoes  which  were  spoiled  by  the  warm 
weather — amounting  to  31,300  bushels,  and  worth  811,000. 
There  were  also  caught  during  the  winter  of  1846-7,  in  New 
Haven  harbor  and  the  Quinnipiac  river,  25,000  bushels,  val 
ued  at  $8.333  33— making  in  the  whole  399,565  bushels  of 
oysters,  and  amounting  in  value  to  $143,278.  Many  of  the 
oysters  brought  here  are  laid  down  in  beds,  and  are  taken  up 
when  grown  larger  and  when  demanded.  A  large  portion 
of  the  neighboring  towns,  especially  those  on  the  line  of  the 
railroad,  are  also  plentifully  supplied  with  oysters  from  this 
quarter — they  being  easily  transported,  either  in  kegs  or  in 
the  shell,  in  any  required  quantity. 

"  There  is  a  large  amount  of  excellent  stone  for  building 
and  other  purposes,  found  in  the  village ;  and  the  getting  it 
out  during  the  spring  and  summer  season  receives  consider 
able  attention.  For  several  years  past  the  quantity  quarried 
has  averaged  about  300,000  solid  feet. — The  manufacture  of 
lime  from  oyster-shells  has  been  a  source  of  great  advantage 
also;  and  it  is  said  that  one  person  engaged  in  the  business 
calculates  upon  making  at  least  200,000  bushels  annually." 
"  The  population,  and  business  in  general,  is  constantly  in- 


144  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


NEW     HAVKN. 


creasing,  and  there  is  every  promise  of  this  being  one  of  the 
most  prosperous  villages  in  the  State."  "  This  place  was 
formerly  called  Dragon,  from  a  sandy  point  of  that  name, 
about  forty  rods  below  the  bridge,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
river.  The  tradition  is,  that  at  the  time  of  the  first  settle 
ment  of  New  Haven,  this  point  was  a  place  of  resort  for  seals, 
which  lay  here  and  basked  themselves  in  the  sun.  At  that 
time  these  animals  were  called  dragons;  hence  the  name 
Dragon  Point." 

The  first  settlers  of  New  Haven  had,  for  several  years,  no 
written  code  of  laws.  "  The  word  of  God,"  it  was  ordered, 
"should  be  the  only  rule  for  ordinary  affairs  of  government 
in  that  commonwealth."  But  they  had  a  court,  which  held 
its  sessions,  as  was  necessary,  before  which  all  matters  rela 
tive  to  the  town,  and  its  inhabitants,  were  brought,  and  a  de 
cision  had  thereon,  according  to  the  nature  and  circum 
stances  of  the  case.  Hence  the  ancient  records  of  New 
Haven,  like  those  of  Hartford  and  several  of  the  Massachu 
setts  towns,  exhibit  much  that  is  sufficiently  curious.  The 
original  settlers  were  a  people  of  great  simplicity — but  all 
their  public  acts  evince  no  small  respect  for  the  word  and 
authority  of  God,  and  singular  and  self  denying  efforts  to 
promote  good  order  and  sound  morality.  A  few  extracts 
from  the  New  Haven  records,  at  this  early  period,  will  cor 
roborate  the  above  remarks. 

At  a  Court  held  at  New  Haven,  A.  D.  1643. — Andrew 
Low,  jun.,  for  breaking  into  Mr.  Ling's  house,  where  he 
brake  open  a  cupboard  and  took  from  thence  some  strong 
water,  and  6d.  in  money,  and  ransackt  the  house  from  roome 
to  roome,  and  left  open  the  doors,  for  which  fact  being  com 
mitted  to  prison,  brake  forth  and  escaped,  and  still  remains 
horrible  obstinate  and  rebellious  against  his  parents,  and  in 
corrigible  under  all  the  means  to  reclaim  him.  Whereupon 
it  was  ordered  that  he  shall  be  as  severely  whipt  as  the  rule 
will  bear,  and  work  with  his  father  as  a  prisoner,  with  a  lock 
upon  his  leg  so  that  he  may  not  escape. 

Dec.  30,  1(551. — It  was  proposed  that  some  safer  way 
might  be  found  out  to  Connecticote,  that  the  danger  of  East 
river  may  be  avoyded.  The  new  wave  was  desired  to  be 
viewed  againe,  as  William  Bradley  offered  to  l«nd  his  can- 
now  to  lie  in  the  East  river,  if  the  town  will  find  ropes  to 
draw  it  to  and  agayne. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  145 


NEW    HAVEN. 


A  Court  holden  3d  November,  1639. — It  was  ordered  that 
Mr.  Hopkins  shall  have  two  hogsheads  of  lime  for  his  pres 
ent  use,  and  as  much  more  as  will  finish  his  house  as  he 
now  intends  itt,  he  thinking  that  two  hogsheads  more  will 
serve. 

It  is  ordered,  that  a  meetinghouse  shall  be  built  forthwith, 
fifty  foote  square;  and  that  the  carpenters  shall  fall  timber 
where  they  can  find  it,  till  allotment  be  layed  out,  and  men 
know  their  proprietyes. 

It  is  ordered,  that  Mr.  Greyson  and  Mr.  Evance  shall  have 
fower  dayes  liberty  after  this  day  to  square  their  timber,  be 
fore  the  former  order  shall  take  hold  of  them. 

It  is  ordered,  that  Mr.  Eaton,  Mr.  Davenport,  Robert 
Newman,  Matthew  Gilbert,  Captain  Turner  and  Thomas 
Flugill,  shall  from  henceforward  have  the  disposing  of  all 
house  lotts,  yett  undisposed  of  about  this  towne,  to  such 
persons  as  they  shall  judge  meete  for  the  good  of  the  planta 
tion  ;  and  thatt  none  come  to  dwell  as  planters  here,  without 
their  consent  and  allowance,  whether  they  come  in  by  pur 
chase  or  otherwise. 

It  is  ordered,  that  every  one  that  bares  armes  shall  be 
completely  furnished  with  arms,  (viz.)  a  muskett.  a  sword, 
bandaleers,  a  rest ;  a  pound  of  powder  ;  20  bullets  fitted  to 
their  muskett,  or  4  pound  of  pistol  shott,  or  swan  shott  at 
least,  and  be  ready  to  show  them  in  the  market  place  upo>n 
Monday  the  16th  of  this  monthe,  before  Captaine  Turner  and 
Lieutenant  Seely,  under  the  penalty  of  20s.  fine  for  every  de 
fault  or  absence. 

4th  December,  1639. — It  was  ordered,  that  Thomas  Saule 
shall  agree  with  Goodman  Spinnage  before  the  next  Court, 
or  else  the  Court  will  determine  the  difference  between 
them. 

Roger  Duhurst  and  James  Stewart  are  enjoyned  to 
make  double  restitution  to  John  Cockerill  for  five  pounds 
and  seventeen  shillings  which  they  stole  out  of  his  chist  on 
the  Lord's  day  in  the  meeting  time,  and  they  being  servants 
to  the  said  Cockerill,  for  which  aggravation  they  were  whip 
ped  also. 

Thomas  Manchester  servant  to  Mr.  Perry,  being  accused 
by  his  master  for  being  druncke,  and  for  giving  his  master 
uncomely  language,  for  which  his  master  having  given  him 
some  correction,  the  Court  (onely)  caused  him  to  be  sett  in 
the  stocks  for  a  certain  time. 

10 


146  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


Ni:\V     HAVE*. 


Nicholas  Tamer,  servant  to  the  said  Mr.  Perry,  for  drunk 
enness  and  abusing  his  master  in  words,  was  whipped. 

A  General  Court,  4th  January,  1639 — It  is  agreed  by 
:he  town,  and  accordingly  ordered  by  the  Court,  that  the 
Neck  shall  be  planted  or  sowen  for  the  tearme  of  seaven 
yeares,  and  thatt  John  Brockett  shall  goe  about  laying  it  out, 
for  which  and  all  difference  betwixt  party  and  party  aboute 
ground  formerly  broke  up  and  planted  by  English  there, 
shall  be  arbitrated  by  indifferent  men,  which  shall  be  chosen 
to  that  end. 

It  is  ordered,  that  some  speedy  course  shall  be  taken  to 
keepe  hogs  out  of  the  Neck. 

It  is  ordered,  that  a  convenient  way  to  the  Hay-place  be 
left  common  for  all  the  towne. 

It  is  ordered,  that  no  cattell  belonging  to  this  towne  shall 
go  without  a  keeper  after  the  first  of  May  next. 

A  Court  liolden  February,  5th,  1639. — It  is  ordered  that 
brother  Andrewes,  brother  Kimberly,  William  Ives,  and  Sar- 
geant  Beckley,  shall  assist  Mr.  Ling  to  ripen  Goodman  Tap's 
business  against  the  next  Courte,  concerning  his  demands 
for  certain  moneyes  which  he  disbursed  for  bringing  cattell 
from  the  Bay,  appertaining  to  divers  persons. 

It  is  ordered,  that  brother  Andrewes  shall  detaine  so  much 
of  Robert  Champion,  his  wages  in  his  hands,  as  may  secure 
a  debt  of  o£3  which  Mr.  Mouland  demaunds  of  the  said 
Robert. 

It  is  ordered,  that  Mr  Mouland  shall  pay  to  Mr.  Perry  20s. 
which  he  owes  him. 

It  is  ordered,  that  Mr.  Wilks  shall  pay  5  bushels  and  a 
halfe  of  Indian  come  to  Thomas  Buckingham,  for  corne  de 
stroyed  by  Mr.  Wilks  his  hogs. 

Isaiah,  Captain  Turner's  man,  fined  <£5  for  being  drunke 
on  the  Lord's  day. 

William  Bloomfield,  Mr.  Malbon's  man,  was  sett  in  the 
stocks  for  prophaning  the  Lord's  day,  and  stealing  wine  from 
his  master,  which  he  drunk  and  gave  to  others. 

Ellice,  Mr.  Eaton's  boy,  \vas  whipped  for  stealing  a  sow 
and  a  goate  from  his  master  and  selling  them. 

David  Anderson  was  whipped  for  being  drunke. 

John  Fenner,  accused  of  being  drunk  with  strong  waters, 
was  acquitted,  it  appearing  to  be  of  infirmity,  and  occasioned 
by  the  extremity  of  the  cold. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  147 


NEW      HAVEN. 


Mr.  Mouland  accused  of  being  drunke,  but  nott  clearly 
proved,  was  respited. 

Peter  Brown,  licensed  to  bake  to  sell,  so  long  as  he  gives 
no  offence  in  it  justly. 

18th  February,  1C39. — John  Charles  forbidden  to  draw 
wine,  because  there  hath  been  much  disorder  by  itt. 

Goodman  Love  was  whipped  and  sent  out  of  the  planta 
tion,  being  not  only  a  disorderly  person  himselfe,  butt  an  en- 
courager  of  others  to  disorderly  drinking  meetings. 

George  Spencer  being  prophalie  and  disorderly  in  his 
whole  conversation,  and  an  abettor  of  others  to  sin,  and 
drawing  others  into  a  conspiracie  to  carry  away  the  cock  to 
Virginia,  was  whipped  and  sent  out  of  the  plantation. 

John  Proute,  Hen.  Brasier,  arid  Will.  Bromfield,  was  whip 
ped  for  joyning  in  the  aforesaid  conspiracie,  and  the  said 
Hen.  and  Will,  were  ordered  to  weare  irons  during  the  magis 
trate's  pleasure. 

At  a  General  Court  held  the  1st  of  the  7th  month,  1G40. 
— It  was  ordered  that  none  of  this  plantation  shall  either  sell 
or  lett  a  lott  to  any  stranger,  for  yeares,  without  allowance 
from  the  Courte. 

A  Court  held  at  New  Haven,  the  3c?  of  the  7th  month, 
1642. — Matthew  Wilson,  for  killing  a  dog  of  Mr.  Perry's 
willfully  and  disorderly,  fined  20s.  for  his  disorder,  and  or 
dered  to  pay  20s.  damage  to  Mr.  Perry,  which  40s.  Edward 
Chipperfield  undertook  to  see  pay'd  by  the  last  of  September 
next. 

8  month  1642. — It  was  ordered,  that  whosoever  finds  any 
things  that  are  lost  shall  deliver  them  to  the  Marshall,  to  be 
kept  safe  till  the  owner  shall  challenge  them. 

2  November  1642. — Jervas  Boy  kin  is  orderde  to  pay  unto 
George  Badcocke  the  sum  of  20s.  for  taking  his  cannow 
without  leave. 

It  is  ordered,  that  those  who  have  ffarmes  at  the  river  called 
stony  River,  shall  have  liberty  to  make  a  sluice  in  the  river 
for  their  own  convenience. 

7th  December,  1642. — F forasmuch  as  John  Owen  hath  had 
some  damage  done  in  his  come  by  hogs  occasioned  through 
the  neglect  of  Mr.  Larnberton,  John  Bud  and  Will  Preston, 
in  not  making  up  their  fence  in  season,  it  is  therefore  or 
dered,  thatt  the  said  Mr.  Larnberton,  John  Bud  and  Will 
Preston  shall  make  satisfaction  to  the  said  John  Owen  for  the 


148  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

NEW    HAVEN. 

damage  done;  (viz.)  eight  days  worke  and  two  pecks  of 
corne,  which  is  to  be  pay'd  according  to  the  several  appor 
tions  of  ffence  unset  up  respectively.* 

During  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  New  Haven  was  at 
tacked  by  a  considerable  body  of  the  British,  who  took  pos 
session  of  the  town,  and  committed  numerous  acts  of  vio 
lence  on  the  inhabitants.  This  attack  wns  made  on  Monday, 
July  5th,  1779,  the  day  on  which  the  citizens  were  to  have 
assembled  to  commemorate  the  Declaration  of  Indepen 
dence.  The  Connecticut  Journal  of  July  7th,  gives  the  fol 
lowing  account  of  the  ingress  of  the  British  and  their  pro 
ceedings  : 

"  About  two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  instant,  a 
fleet  consisting  of  the  Camilla  and  Scorpion  men-of-war,  with 
tenders,  transports,  &/c.  to  the  number  of  48,  commanded 
by  Commodore  Sir  George  Collier,  anchored  off  West  Ha 
ven.  They  had  on  board  about  3000  land  forces,  command 
ed  by  Major  General  Tryon  ;  about  1500  of  whom,  under 
Brigadier  General  Garth,  landed  about  sunrise  on  West  Haven 
point.  The  town  being  alarmed,  all  the  preparation  which 
the  confusion  and  distress  of  the  inhabitants,  and  a 
necessary  care  of  their  families  would  permit,  was  made  for 
resistance.  The  West  Bridge  on  Milford  road  was  taken  up, 
and  several  fieldpieces  were  carried  thither,  and  some  slight 
works  thrown  up  for  the  defence  of  that  pass.  The  division 
under  General  Garth  being  landed,  immediately  began  their 
march  towards  the  town.  The  first  opposition  was  made  by 
about  twenty-five  of  the  inhabitants,  to  an  advanced  party  of 
the  enemy  of  two  companies  of  light  infantry.  These, 
though  advancing  on  the  height  of  Milford  hill,  were  attacked 
with  great  spirit  by  the  handful  of  our  people,  and  driven 
back  almost  to  West  Haven,  and  one  of  them  was  taken  pris 
oner.  The  enemy  then  advanced  in  their  main  body,  with 
strong  flanking  parties,  and  two  fieldpieces  ;  and  finding  a 
smart  fire  kept  up  from  our  fieldpieces  at  the  bridge  afore 
said,  chose  not  to  force  an  entrance  to  the  town  bv  that,  the 
usual  road,  but  to  make  a  circuitous  march  of  nine  miles,  in 
order  to  enter  by  the  Derby  road.  In  this  march  our  small 
party  on  Milford  hill,  now  increased  to  perhaps  150,  pro- 

*  Historical  Collections. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  149 


NEW    HAVEN. 


miscuously  collected  from  several  companies  of  the  militia, 
had  a  small  encounter  with  the  enemy's  flank  near  the  Mil- 
ford  road,  in  which  was  killed  their  adjutant,  Campbell,  the 
loss  of  whom  they  lamented  with  much  apparent  sensibility. 
Our  people  on  the  hill,  being  obliged  by  superior  numbers,  to 
give  way,  kept  up  a  continual  fire  on  the  enemy,  and  galled 
them  much,  through  all  their  march  to  Thomson's  bridge 
on  the  Derby  road.  In  the  mean  time,  those  who  were  post 
ed  at  the  West  bridge,  perceiving  the  movements  of  the  en 
emy,  and  also  that  another  large  body  of  them  had  landed  at 
the  South  End,  on  the  east  side  of  the  harbor,  quitted  the 
bridge  and  marched  thence  to  oppose  the  enemy  at  Thom 
son's  bridge.  But  by  the  time  they  had  reached  the  bank  of 
the  river,  the  enemy  were  in  possession  of  the  bridge,  and 
the  places  at  which  the  river  is  here  fordable  :  yet  having  re 
ceived  a  small  accession  of  strength  by  the  coming  in  of  the 
militia,  they  gave  the  enemy  a  smart  fire  from  two  fieldpieces 
and  small  arms,  which  continued  with  little  abatement,  till 
the  enemy  were  in  possession  of  the  town,  or  through  the 
town  across  the  Neck  bridge.  The  enemy  entered  the  town 
between  12  and  1  o'clock.  In  the  mean  time,  the  division 
of  the  enemy,  before  mentioned  to  have  landed  at  the 
South  End,  which  was  under  the  immediate  command  of 
General  Tryon,  was  bravely  resisted  by  a  small  party  of  men, 
with  one  fieldpiece,  who,  besides  other  execution,  killed  an 
officer  of  the  enemy,  in  one  of  the  boats  at  their  landing. 
This  division  marched  up  by  land,  and  attacked  the  fort  at 
Black  Rock  ;  at  the  same  time,  their  shipping  drew  up,  and 
attacked  it  from  the  harbor.  The  fort  had  only  nineteen 
men,  and  three  pieces  of  artillery,  yet  was  defended  as  long 
as  reason  or  valor  dictated,  and  then  the  men  made  good 
their  retreat. 

"The  town  being  now  in  full  possession  of  the  enemy,  it 
was,  notwithstanding  the  subjoined  proclamation,  delivered  up, 
except  a  few  instances  of  protection,  to  promiscuous  plunder; 
in  which,  besides  robbing  the  inhabitants  of  their  watches, 
money,  plate,  buckles,  clothing,  bedding,  and  provisions, 
they  broke  and  destroyed  their  household  furniture  to  a 
very  great  amount.  Some  families  lost  every  thing  their 
houses  contained  :  many  have  now  neither  food,  nor  clothes  to 
shift. 

"  A  body  of  militia  sufficient  to  penetrate  the  town,  could 
not  be  collected  that  evening  :  we  were  obliged  therefore  to 


150  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


>E\V     HAVEN. 


content  ourselves  with  giving  the  enemy  every  annoyance  in 
our  power,  winch  was  done  with  great  spirit  for  most  of  the 
afternoon  at  and  about  the  Ditch  corner. 

"  Early  on  Tuesday  morning,  the  enemy  unexpectedly  and 
with  the  utmost  stillness  and  despatch,  called  in  their  guards, 
and  retreated  to  their  boats,  carrying  with  them  a  number  of 
the  inhabitants  captive,  most,  if  not  all  of  whom,  were  taken 
without  arms,  and  a  few  who  chose  to  accompany  them. 
Part  of  them  went  on  board  their  fleet,  and  part  crossed  over 
to  General  Tryon  at  East  Haven.  On  Tuesday  afternoon, 
the  militia  collected  in  such  numbers,  and  crowded  so  close 
upon  General  Tryon,  that  he  thought  best  to  retreat  on 
board  his  lleet,  and  set  sail  to  the  westward. 

"  The  loss  of  the  enemy  is  unknown  ;  but  for  many  reasons 
it  is  supposed  to  be  considerable,  and  includes  some  officers 
whom  they  lament,  besides  Adjutant  Campbell.  Ours,  by 
the  best  information  we  can  obtain,  is  27  killed,  and  19 
wounded.  As  many  of  our  dead  upon  examination  appeared 
to  have  been  wounded  with  shot,  but  not  mortally,  and  after 
wards  to  have  been  killed  with  bayonets,  this  demonstrated 
the  true  reason  why  the  number  of  the  dead  exceeded  that 
of  the  wounded,  to  be  that  being  wounded  and  falling  into 
the  enemy's  hands,  they  were  afterwards  killed.  A  further 
confirmation  of  this  charge  is,  that  we  have  full  and  direct 
testimony,  which  affirms  that  General  Garth  declared  to  .one 
of  our  militia,  who  was  wounded  and  taken,  that  "  he  was  sorry 
his  men  had  not  killed  him,  instead  of  taking  hrm,  and  that 
he  would  not  have  his  men  give  quarter  to  one  militia  man, 
taken  in  arms." 

"  Although  in  this  expedition,  it  must  be  confessed  to  the 
credit  of  the  Britons  that  they  have  not  done  all  the  mischief 
in  their  power,  yet,  the  brutal  ravishment  of  women,  the  wan 
ton  and  malicious  destruction  of  property,  the  burning  of  the 
stores  tipon  the  wharf,  and  eight  houses  in  East  Haven  ;  the 
beating,  stabbing,  and  insulting  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Daggett,  af 
ter  he  was  made  a  prisoner,  the  mortally  wounding  of  Mr. 
Beers,  senior,  in  his  own  door,  and  otherways  abusing  him  ; 
the  murdering  of  the  very  aged  and  helpless  Mr.  English  in 
his  own  house,  and  the  beating  and  finally  cutting  out  the 
tongue  of  and  then  killing  a  distracted  man,  are  sufficient 
proofs  that  they  were  really  Britons." 

In  the  preceding   account  of  this  wanton  attack  upon  an 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  151 


NEW    HAVEN. 


unoffending  town,  allusion  has  been  made  to  their  abusive 
treatment  of  Dr.  Daggett,  the  aged  and  venerable  president  of 
Yale  College.  Not  long  afterwards  he  published  an  account 
of  the  transaction,  under  his  own  signature,  and  to  the  truth 
of  which  he  made  oath  before  a  magistrate.  The  following 
is  from  the  original,  which  is  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of 
State  at  Hartford. 

"  An  account  of  the  cruelties  and  barbarities,  which  I  re 
ceived  from  the  British  soldiers,  after  I  had  surrendered  my 
self  a  prisoner  into  their  hands. — It  is  needless  to  relate  all  the 
leading  circumstances,  which  threw  me  in  their  way.  It  may 
be  sufficient  to  observe,  that  on  Monday  morning  the  5th  inst. 
the  town  of  New  Haven  was  justly  alarmed,  with  very  threat 
ening  appearances  of  a  speedy  invasion  from  the  enemy. 
Numbers  went  out  armed  to  oppose  them  ;  I  among  the  rest, 
took  the  station  assigned  me  upon  Mil  ford  hill,  but  was  soon 
directed  to  quit  it,  and  retire  further  north  as  the  motion  of 
the  enemy  required.  Having  gone  as  far  as  I  supposed  was 
sufficient,  I  turned  down  the  hill  to  gain  a  little  covert  of 
bushes,  which  I  had  in  my  eye  ;  but  to  my  great  surprise,  I  saw 
the  enemy  much  nearer  than  I  expected,  their  advanced  guards 
being  little  more  than  20  rods  distant,  plain  open  ground  be 
tween  us.  They  instantly  fired  upon  me,  which  they  con 
tinued,  till  I  had  run  a  dozen  rods,  discharging  not  less  than 
15  or  20  balls  at  me  alone  ;  however,  through  the  preserving 
providence  of  God,  I  escaped  them  all  unhurt,  and  gained  the 
little  covert  at  which  1  aimed,  which  concealed  me  from 
their  view,  while  I  could  plainly  see  them  through  the  weeds 
and  bushes,  advancing  towards  me  within  about  12  rods.  I 
singled  out  one  of  them,  took  aim,  and  fired  upon  him  ;  I 
loaded  my  musket  again,  but  determined  not  to  discharge  it 
any  more,  and  as  I  saw  I  could  not  escape  from  them,  I  de 
termined  to  surrender  myself  a  prisoner.  I  begged  for  quar 
ters,  and  that  they  would  spare  my  life.  They  drew  near 
to  me,  I  think  two  only  in  number,  one  on  my  right  hand,  the 
other  on  my  left,  the  fury  of  infernals  glowing  in  their  faces, 
they  called  me  a  damned  old  Rebel,  and  swore  they  would  kill 
me  instantly.  They  demanded,  what  did  you  fire  upon  us  for  ? 
I  replied,  because  it  is  the  exercise  of  war.  Then  one  made 
a  pass  at  me  with  his  bayonet,  as  if  he  designed  to  thrust  it 
through  my  body.  With  my  hand  I  tossed  it  up  from  its  di 
rection,  and  sprung  in  so  near  to  him  that  he  could  not  hurt 
me  with  his  bayonet.  I  still  continued  pleading  and  beg- 


152  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


NEW    HAVEN. 


ging  for  my  life,  with  the  utmost  importunity,  using  every 
argument  in  my  power  to  mollify  them,  and  induce  them  to 
desist  from  their  murderous  purpose.  One  of  them  gave  me 
four  gushes  on  my  head  with  the  edge  of  his  bayonet,  to  the 
skull  bone,  which  caused  a  plentiful  effusion  of  blood.  The 
other  gave  me  three  pricks  with  the  point  of  his  bayonet,  but 
they  were  no  more  than  skin  deep.  But  what  is  a  thousand 
times  worse  than  all  that  has  been  related,  is  the  blows  and 
bruises  they  gave  me  with  the  heavy  barrels  of  their  guns  on 
my  bowels,  by  which  I  was  knocked  down  once,  or  more,  and 
almost  deprived  of  life;  by  which  bruises,  I  have  been  al 
most  confined  to  my  bed  ever  since.  These  scenes  might 
take  up  about  two  minutes  of  time.  They  seemed  to  desist  a 
little  time  from  their  design  of  murder,  after  which  they  stript 
me  of  my  shoe  and  knee  buckles,  and  also  my  stock  buckle. 
Their  avarice  further  led  them  to  rob  me  of  my  pocket  hand 
kerchief,  and  a  little  old  tobacco  box.  They  then  bade  me 
march  towards  the  main  body,  which  was  about  twelve  rods 
distant,  where  some  officers  soon  inquired  of  me  who  I  was; 
I  gave  them  my  name,  station  and  character,  and  begged 
their  protection,  that  I  might  not  be  any  more  abused  or  hurt 
by  the  soldiers.  They  promised  me  their  protection.  But  I 
was  robbed  of  my  shoes,  and  was  committed  to  one  of  the 
most  unfeeling  savages  that  ever  breathed.  They  then  drove 
me  with  the  main  body,  a  hasty  march  of  five  miles  or  more. 
I  was  insulted  in  the  most  shocking  manner  by  the  ruffian 
soldiers,  many  of  which  came  at  me  with  fixed  bayonets,  and 
swore  that  they  would  kill  me  on  the  spot.  They  damned 
me,  and  those  that  took  me,  because  they  spared  my  life. 
Thus  amidst  a  thousand  insults,  my  infernal  driver  hastened 
me  along  faster  than  my  strength  would  admit  in  the  extreme 
heat  of  the  day,  weakened  as  I  was  by  my  wounds  and  the 
loss  of  blood,  which  at  a  moderate  computation  could  not  be 
less  than  one  quart.  And  when  I  failed  in  some  degree 
through  faintness,  he  would  strike  me  on  the  back  with  a 
heavy  walking  staff,  and  kick  me  behind  with  his  foot. 
At  length  by  the  supporting  power  of  God,  I  arrived  at  the 
green  in  New  Haven.  But  my  life  was  almost  spent,  the 
world  around  me  several  times  appearing  as  dark  as  mid 
night.  I  obtained  leave  of  an  officer  to  be  carried  into  the 
widow  Lyman's  and  laid  upon  a  bed,  where  I  lay  the  rest  of 
the  day,  and  succeeding  night,  in  such  acute  and  excrucia 
ting  pain  as  I  never  felt  before." 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  153 


MIDDLE-TOWN. 


MIDDLETOWN. 

The  Indian  name  of  Middletown  was  Mattabesett,  a  name 
which  a  small  river  emptying  into  the  Connecticut  north  of 
the  city,  still  retains.  The  attention  of  the  English  was 
first  drawn  to  this  fine  location,  as  a  place  of  settlement,  in 
1650,  at  which  time  a  committee  was  appointed  to  explore 
the  lands.  It  is  not  a  little  singular  that  they  should  have 
estimated  the  fertility  of  this  remarkably  fertile  region  so 
low,  as  to  report  that  subsistence  might  be  obtained  in  it  for 
fifteen  families.  In  the  course  of  the  same  year  a  small  set 
tlement  was  commenced  near  the  Connecticut  river,  north 
and  south  of  the  little  river,  but  the  inhabitants  soon  in 
creased  to  such  a  number,  as  to  be  invested  with  town  privi 
leges  in  1652.  The  following  year,  the  place  took  the 
name  of  Middletown.  In  1654,  there  were  probably  about 
thirty  families  ;  in  1670  the  number  was  only  fifty-two.  The 
principal  planters  were  from  England,  Hartford  and  Weth- 
ersfield  ;  but  the  greater  number  were  from  Hartford.  Con 
siderable  accessions  were  made  from  Rowley,  Chelmsford, 
and  Woburn,  in  Massachusetts. 

"  A  portion  of  the  lands  in  Middletown,  were  given  by 
Sowheag  i  the  great  Sachem  of  Mattabesett,  t#  John  Haynes, 
for  some  time  governor  of  Connecticut,  probably  before  any 
settlement  was  made  in  the  town.  On  the  21st  of  January, 
1662,  Sepunnemo  and  other  chiefs,  knowing  the  gifts  of 
Sowheag  to  Mr.  Haynes,  sold  to  Samuel  Wyllys,  and  others, 
doubtless  as  agents  of  the  colony  or  town,  all  the  remaining 
lands  in  Middletown,  including  Chatham,  extending  six  miles 
east  of  the  river,  and  as  far  west  as  the  Court  had  granted 
the  bounds  of  the  town  ;  excepting  300  acres,  which  they 
reserved  for  the  heirs  of  Sowheag  and  Mattabesett  Indians, 
to  be  laid  out  east  of  the  river;  and  a  tract  on  the.  west  side, 
previously  laid  out  for  Sawsean,  to  remain  for  his  heirs  for 
ever.  A  reservation  also  appears  to  have  been  in  the  neigh 
borhood,  now  called  Newfield,  where  the  Indians  held  lands 
as  late  as  1713. 

"  Sowheag  was  a  powerful  Sachem.  His  fort  or  castle 
was  on  the  high  ground  in  the  west  part  of  the  city  of  Mid 
dletown,  still  called  from  this  circumstance,  Indian  hill, 
about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  N.  W.  of  the  Court  House, 
where  he  was  able,  by  means  of  his  whistle,  to  call  around 


154  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

MIDDLETOWN. 

him  many  warriors,  it  is  said  to  the  number  of  500,  whose 
wigwams  were  thick  on  both  sides  of  the  Connecticut  east 
ward.  His  dominions  extended  not  only  over  these  and 
other  Indians  in  Middle  town  and  Chatham,  but  over  the 
Piquay,  or  Wethersfield  Indians,  whose  sagamore,  Sequin, 
was  subject  to  him  ;  and  as  a  part  of  the  original  township 
of  New  Haven  was  purchased  of  Montowese,  Sowheag's  son, 
it  is  probable  that  his  dominion  embraced  some  of  the  In 
dians  in  that  town. 

"  Although  Sowheag  gave  lands  to  Gov.  Haynes,  he  may 
be  considered  as  a  base  and  treacherous  man.  In  April, 
1G37,  some  of  his  Indians  aided  the  Pequots  in  their  incur 
sion  into  that  town,  when  they  surprised  and  killed  six  men. 
Sowheag  entertained  the  murderers,  and  treated  the  people 
of  Wethersfield  in  a  haughty  and  insulting  manner.  It  seems, 
however,  that  the  people  of  Wethersfield  had  previously  of 
fered  him  some  provocation.  On  hearing  of  their  differ 
ences,  the  General  Court  were  disposed  to  forgive  him,  and 
appointed  a  committee  to  compromise  all  differences  with 
him.  But  he  totally  refused  to  give  up  the  murderers,  and 
continued  his  outrages  against  the  English.  The  Court  of 
Connecticut  therefore,  in  August,  1639,  determined  to  send 
one  hundred  men  to  Mattabesett,  and  take  the  delinquents 
by  force.  They  notified  their  friends  of  New  Haven  of 
their  determination,  both  that  they  might  receive  their  ap 
probation,  in  an  enterprise  of  such  general  concern,  and  that 
they  might  make  the  necessary  arrangements  for  defending 
their  own  plantations.  Gov.  Eaton  and  his  council  viewed 
it  important  that  the  murderers  should  be  brought  to  justice, 
but  in  existing  circumstances,  deemed  the  measure  proposed 
for  doin^  it  inexpedient,  and  dissuaded  the  Connecticut  col 
ony  from  hostile  measures."* 

The  city  of  Middletown,  which  was  incorporated  in  1754, 
is  built  on  a  beautiful  declivity  along  the  western  bank  of  the 
Connecticut  river,  where  the  stream  suddenly  expands,  and 
makes  a  bend  in  its  course,  so  as  to  present  the  appearance 
of  a  small  lake  with  high  sloping  and  cultivated  shores.  It 
is  built  mostly  upon  eight  streets  ;  the  principal  street,  how 
ever,  is  Main  street,  which  runs  north  and  south,  and  is 
about  a  mile  in  length.  The  streets  and  walks  are  shaded 

*  Connecticut  Historical  Collections. 


SOWHEAG. 


156  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

MIDDLF.TOWN. 

with  elms,  and  linden  or  lime  trees.  Much  taste  has  been 
displayed  by  the  citizens  about  their  residences  in  the  col 
lection  of  choice  shrubs  and  plants.  Main  street  is  elevated 
from  45  to  50  feet  above  the  level  of  the  river.  Indian  or 
Sowheaor  hill,  one  mile  from  the  river,  is  227  feet  above  its 
level.  The  base  of  the  Wesleyan  University  Lyceum  is  160 
feet  above  the  river,  being  distant  five-eighths  of  a  mile. 
The  value  of  articles  manufactured  in  this  place  yearly  is  es 
timated  at  $700,000.  The  coasting  trade  of  Middletown  is 
extensive;  its  population  in  1850  was  4,211.  The  width  of 
the  river  opposite  the  city  varies  from  97  to  80  rods  ;  it  is 
navigable  to  this  city  for  vessels  drawing  ten  feet  of  water. 

"  The  Wesleyan  University,"  says  Mr.  Barber  in  his  His 
torical  Collections,  "  was  founded  in  1831,  and  is  an  institu 
tion  of  great  promise,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  The  college  buildings  are  finely  situated 
on  an  eminence,  about  half  a  mile  from  the  river,  commanding 
a  view  of  the  town,  some  of  the  neighboring  villages,  and  a 
fine  prospect  of  a  most  fruitful  surrounding  country.  The 
college  buildings  were  originally  built  for,  and  occupied  by, 
the  American  Literary,  Scientific  and  Military  Academy, 
under  the  care  of  Captain  Partridge.  The  Academy  having 
failed  in  its  operations,  the  buildings  were  vacated,  and  left 
on  the  hands  of  the  proprietors.  At  this  time,  several  an 
nual  conferences  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  were 
preparing  to  establish  a  college  under  the  patronage  of  said 
Church,  and  were  holding  the  privilege  of  location  in  the 
market,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a  liberal  local  subscrip 
tion.  To  secure  this  privilege,  the  proprietors  of  the  Acad 
emy  offered  their  building  as  a  gratuity,  for  the  use  of  a  col 
lege  or  university  forever,  on  condition  that  there  should  be 
an  additional  endowment  raised  of  840,000.  The  citizens 
of  Middletown  and  its  vicinity,  with  a  commendable  zeal,  by 
a  public  grant,  and  by  private  subscriptions,  pledged  about 
$18,000  of  the  endowment.  These  offers,  together  with  the 
other  local  advantages,  fixed  the  University  in  its  present 
location."  This  University  is  at  the  present  time  in  a 
flourishing  condition.  Its  Philosophical  and  Astronomical 
apparatus  has  recently  been  increased  by  an  expenditure  of 
about  £6,000, — and  an  addition  of  about  one  hundred  in 
struments.  "  The  prospects  in  and  around  the  city,"  says 
Dr.  Dwight,  "  are  iu  an  uncommon  degree  delightful.  On 
the  west,  at  the  distance  of  four  or  five  miles,  rise  to  the 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  157 


height  of  eight  hundred  feet,  the  mountains  of  the  Middle- 
town  range.  An  undulating  country,  ornamented  with  farms, 
groves,  and  well  appearing  houses,  extends  from  their  base 
to  the  river.  Directly  south  recedes  from  the  river,  which 
here  bends  several  miles  to  the  East,  near  the  lower  ex 
tremity  of  the  city,  a  spacious  and  beautiful  valley,  bordered 
on  the  Eastern  side  by  hills,  ascending  with  an  easy,  ele 
gant  acclivity  several  miles,  to  such  a  height  as  frequently  to 
be  called  mountains,  and  diversified  with  a  rich  variety  of 
agricultural  scenery. 

"  Immediately  north  lies  an  extensive  interval,  through 
which  runs  a  large  mill  stream.  Beyond  it,  at  the  distance 
of  three  miles,  appears  in  full  view,  on  the  southern  declivi 
ty  of  a  fine  eminence,  the  handsome  village  called  Upper 
Middletown.  The  river,  a  noble  stream  half  a  mile  in 
breadth,  winds  in  delightful  prospect  directly  beneath  this 
complication  of  elegant  objects,  eight  or  ten  miles,  losing  it 
self,  at  the  lower  limit,  by  passing  through  the  range  of  hills 
already  mentioned. 

"  Beyond  the  river  rise  the  fine  slopes  of  Chatham,  cov 
ered  with  all  the  varieties  of  culture,  orchard,  grove  and  for 
est  ;  and  interspersed  with  well  appearing  farm  houses. 
These  grounds,  and  indeed  the  whole  assemblage  and  ar 
rangement  of  the  objects,  which  form  the  landscape,  are 
fashioned  with  an  exquisite  hand,  and  delight  the  eye  of 
every  traveller."* 


NORWICH. 

The  proprietor  of  the  land  upon  which  Norwich  stands, 
was  Uncas,  sachem  of  the  Mohegans,  a  tribe  of  Indians, 
which  had  their  residence  in  this  neighborhood.  Frequent 
wars  were  waged  by  Uncas  and  the  Narragansetts,  during 
one  of  which,  the  latter  besieged  the  Mohegan  chief  in  his 
fort,  until  his  provisions  were  nearly  exhausted.  Perceiving 
that  unless  speedy  relief  was  had,  he  and  his  men  must  per 
ish,  he  contrived  to  communicate  to  the  English  scouts,  sent 
out  from  Saybrook  fort,  the  danger  he  was  in,  and  urgently 

*  Dwight's  Travels. 


UXCAS. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  159 


besought  assistance.  And  as  an  inducement  to  the  English  to 
interfere,  he  represented  the  great  danger  they  would  be  in, 
from  the  hostile  Narragansetts,  should  the  latter  succeed  in 
their  design. 

No  sooner  was  the  situation  of  Uncas  made  known  to  the 
garrison  at  Saybrook,  than  one  Thomas  Leffingwell,  an  en 
sign  at  Saybrook,  and  an  enterprising  and  bold  man,  loaded 
a  canoe  with  beef,  corn,  and  peas,  and  under  cover  of  night, 
paddled  from  Saybrook  to  the  Thames,  on  entering  which, 
he  had  the  address  to  place  the  whole  in  the  fort.  The  en 
emy  soon  perceiving  that  Uncas  was  relieved,  raised  the 
siege.  For  this  service,  Uncas  gave  Leffingwell  a  deed  of 
a  great  part,  if  not  of  the  whole,  town  of  Norwich.  In  June, 
1G59,  Uncas,  with  his  two  sons,  Owaneco  and  Attawanhood, 
by  a  more  formal  and  authentic  deed,  made  over  to  Leffing 
well,  John  Mason,  Esquire,  the  Rev.  James  Fitch,  and  oth 
ers,  consisting  of  thirty-five  proprietors,  the  whole  town  of 
Norwich,  which  is  about  nine  miles  square.  The  company, 
at  this  time,  gave  Uncas  and  his  sons  about  <£70,  as  a  further 
compensation,  for  so  large  and  fine  a  tract. 

"In  the  spring  of  1600,  preparations  were  made  to  com 
mence  a  settlement  by  the  Rev.  James  Fitch,  who,  with  the 
principal  part  of  his  Church  and  congregation,  removed  from 
Saybrook,  and  planted  the  town  of  Norwich.  Three  or  four 
planters  joined  them  from  New  London,  and  two  or  three 
from  the  towns  of  Plymouth  and  Marshfield,  in  Massachu 
setts.  In  1663,  the  General  Assembly  ordered  that  the  deed 
should  be  recorded.  The  limits  were  afterwards  ascertained, 
and  the  town  received  a  patent  for  the  whole. 

"  The  Mohegans  were  a  great  defence,  and  of  essential 
service  to  the  town  for  many  years.  They  kept  out  their 
scouts  and  spies,  and  so  constantly  watched  their  enemies, 
that  they  gave  the  earliest  notice  of  their  approach,  and 
were  a  continual  defence  against  them.  For  this  purpose, 
in  times  of  danger,  they  often  moved  and  pitched  their  wig 
wams  near  the  town,  and  were  a  great  terror  to  the  enemy. 
Once  the  hostile  Indians  came  near  the  town,  upon  the 
Sabbath,  with  a  design  to  make  a  descent  upon  it  ;  but  on 
viewing  it  from  an  eminence,  arid  seeing  the  Mohegan  huts, 
they  were  intimidated,  and  retired  without  doing  the  least 
damage."* 

*TrumbuU's  History  of  Connecticut. 


160  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


NORWICH. 


The  city  of  Norwich,  formerly  called  Chelsea,  or  Nor 
wich  Landing,  lies  at  the  head  of  navigation  of  the  Thames. 
The  principal  part  of  the  city  is  built  on  the  southern  de 
clivity  of  a  high  and  rocky  hill.  The  houses  rise  in  tiers 
one  above  another.  The  approach  to  the  city  from  the  south 
presents  one  of  the  most  beautiful,  interesting,  and  romantic 
prospects  in  the  State.  For  a  considerable  distance  down 
the  river,  the  buildings  which  are  mostly  painted  white,  appear 
in  full  view,  and  in  contrast  with  the  deep  green  foliage 
crossing  the  rocky  and  elevated  banks  of  the  river,  give  a 
picturesque  variety  to  the  scene,  forming  on  the  water  a  de 
lightful  approach  to  the  city. 

In  respect  to  its  water  privileges,  Norwich  is  the  second 
town  in  New  England.  About  one  mile  to  the  east  of  the 
Landing  is  the  flourishing  village  of  Greenville,  which  owes 
its  birth  to  the  extensive  water  power  of  the  immediate 
neighborhood.  Here  a  dam  has  been  thrown  across  the 
Shetucket,  whose  waters  are  capable  of  carrying  60,000 
spindles.  Several  large  factories  have  already  been  erected, 
and  others  are  said  to  be  in  contemplation,  on  an  extended 
scale.  The  Chelsea  Manufacturing  Company  here  owns  the 
most  extensive  paper-mill  in  the  State.  Large  quantities  of 
paper  are  furnished  by  this  company,  as  well  as  by  factories 
owned  by  two  gentlemen,  by  the  name  of  Hubbard,  for  the 
New  York  market.  The  first  paper  manufactured  in  Con 
necticut,  was  made  in  this  town  by  Colonel  Christopher  Lef- 
fingwell.  Population  of  Norwich  in  1850  10,265. 

Within  the  precincts  of  this  town  is  the  royal  burying 
ground  of  the  celebrated  Uncas.  It  is  situated  on  an  elevated 
bank,  on  the  northern  edge  of  a  grove,  near  the  falls  of  the 
Yantic,  a  tributary  of  the  Thames,  and  about  one  mile  from 
the  entrance  of  that  river  into  the  latter.  Little  did  Uncas 
dream,  that  the  busy  hum  of  large  manufacturing  establish 
ments  would  ever  be  heard  nearly  over  the  graves  of  his  de 
scendants.  But  here  the  well  finished  mansion  has  taken 
the  place  of  the  wigwam  ;  and  the  hands  of  civilized  man 
are  turning  off  his  works  of  art  and  usefulness,  where  once 
flourished  the  tomahawk,  and  once  sounded  the  war-whoop. 
Yet  the  memory  of  this  savage  friend  is  still  kindly  cherished 
by  his  successors  on  the  soil.  The  foundation  stone  to  a 
monument  to  Uncas  was  laid  during  the  tour  of  the  late 
President  Jackson  into  New  England,  at  which  ceremony 


PRESIDENT  JACKSON. 


11 


162  TRAVELS  AND   SKETCHES 


that  "  military  chieftain  "  was  present,  and  in  which  he  as 
sisted.  Other  monuments  would  well  become  the  same 
hands  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  other  equally  "  noble 
souls"  who  have  been  driven  to  lay  their  bones  in  lands  far 
from  their  fathers'  sepulchres.  Several  monuments  of  the 
royal  line  of  the  Uncases,  Mr.  Barber  informs  us,  are  still 
to  be  seen.  He  has  given  us  the  following  inscriptions, 
copied  on  the  spot : 

"  Here  lies  ye  body  of  Pompi  Uncas,  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Ann  Uncas,  and  of  ye  royal  blood,  who  died  May  ye  1st,  1740, 
in  the  2lst  year  of  his  age." 

"  Here  lies  Sam  Uncas,  the  2d  and  beloved  son  of  his 
father,  John  Uncas,  who  was  the  grandson  of  Uncas,  grand 
sachem  of  Mohegan,  the  darling  of  his  mother,  being  daughter 
of  said  Uncas,  grand  sachem.  He  died  July  31st,  1741,  in 
the  28th  year  of  his  age." 

The  following  inscription  is  said  to  have  been  on  a  monu 
ment  formerly  standing  here  in  memory  of  Samuel  Uncas  : 

For  beauty,  wit,  for  sterling  sense, 

For  temper  mild,  for  eloquence, 

For  courage  bold,  for  things  waureegan,* 

He  was  the  glory  of  Mohegan — 

Whose  death  has  caused  great  lamentation, 

Both  to  ye  English  and  ye  Indian  Nation. 

In  the  eastern  part  of  the  town  of  Norwich  is  a  place, 
which  is  to  this  day  known  by  the  name  of  "  Sachem's 
Plain"  It  derived  its  name  from  a  memorable  battle  fought 
in  the  year  1643,  between  Uncas  and  Miantonimoh — the 
former,  sachem  of  the  Mohegans — the  latter,  sachem  of  the 
Narragansetts.  These  chiefs  and  their  respective  tribes 
were  perpetually  at  war  ;  but  the  English  had  obtained  a 
pledge  from  Miantonimoh,  that  he  would  engage  in  no  hos 
tile  movement  without  consulting  them.  "  Contrary,  how 
ever,  to  his  agreement,  Miantonimoh  without  proclaiming 
war,  or  giving  Uncas  the  least  information,  raised  an  army 
of  nine  hundred  or  a  thousand  men,  and  marched  against 
him.  Uncas's  spies  discovered  the  army  at  some  distance, 

*  If'aurcegan  signifies  clothes,  household  furniture,  &c.  of  a  costly 
description. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  163 

NORWICH. 

and  gave  him  intelligence.  He  was  unprepared  ;  but  rally 
ing  between  four  and  five  hundred  of  his  bravest  men,  he 
told  them  they  must  by  no  means  suffer  Miantonimoh  to 
come  into  their  town  ;  but  must  go  and  fight  him  on  his  way. 
Having  marched  three  or  four  miles,  the  armies  met  upon  a 
large  plain.  When  they  had  advanced  within  fair  bow  shot 
of  each  other,  Uncas  had  recourse  to  a  stratagem,  with  which 
he  previously  acquainted  his  warriors.  He  desired  a  parley, 
and  both  armies  halted  in  the  face  of  each  other.  Uncas, 
gallantly  advancing  in  the  front  of  his  men,  addressed  Mian 
tonimoh  to  this  effect :  '  You  have  a  number  of  stout  men 
with  you,  and  so  have  I  with  me.  It  is  a  great  pity  that  such 
brave  warriors  should  be  killed  in  a  private  quarrel  between 
us  only.  Come  like  a  man,  as  you  profess  to  be,  and  let  us 
fight  it  out.  If  you  kill  me,  my  men  shall  be  yours;  but  if  I 
kill  you,  your  men  shall  be  mine.'  Miantonimoh  replied, 
*  My  men  came  to  fight,  and  they  shall  fight.'  Uncas  falling 
instantly  upon  the  ground,  his  men  discharged  a  shower  of 
arrows  upon  the  Narragansetts ;  and  without  a  moment's  in 
terval,  rushing  upon  them,  in  the  most  furious  manner,  with 
their  hideous  Indian  yell,  put  them  immediately  to  flight. 
The  Mohegans  pursued  the  enemy  with  the  same  fury  and 
eagerness,  with  which  they  commenced  the  action.  The 
Narragansetts  were  driven  down  rocks  and  precipices,  and 
chased  like  a  doe  by  the  huntsman.  Among  others,  Mian 
tonimoh  was  exceedingly  pressed.  Some  of  Uncas' s  bravest 
men,  who  were  most  light  of  foot,  coming  up  with  him, 
twitched  him  back,  impeding  his  flight,  and  passed  him,  that 
Uncas  might  take  him.  Uncas  was  a  stout  man,  and  rushing 
forward,  like  a  lion  greedy  of  his  prey,  seized  him  by  his 
shoulder.  He  knew  Uncas,  and  saw  that  he  was  now  in  the 
power  of  the  man  whom  he  had  hated,  and  by  all  means  at 
tempted  to  destroy ;  but  he  sat  down  sullen,  and  spake  not  a 
word.  Uncas  gave  the  Indian  whoop  and  called  up  his  men, 
who  were  behind,  to  his  assistance.  The  victory  was  com 
plete.  About  thirty  of  the  Narragansetts  were  slain,  and  a 
much  greater  number  wounded.  Among  the  latter  was  a 
brother  of  Miantonimoh,  and  two  sons  of  Canonicus,  a  chief 
sachem  of  the  Narragansett  Indians.  The  brother  of  Mian 
tonimoh  was  not  only  wounded,  but  armed  with  a  coat  of 
mail,  both  which  retarded  his  flight.  Two  of  Miantonirnoh's 
captains,  who  formerly  were  Uncas's  men,  but  had  treacher 
ously  deserted  him,  discovering  his  situation,  took  him  and 


164  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


carried  him  to  Uncas,  expecting  in  this  way  to  reconcile 
themselves  to  their  sachem.  But  Uncas  and  his  men  slew 
them.  Miantonimoh  made  no  request,  either  for  himself  or 
his  men  ;  but  continued  in  the  same  sullen,  speechless  mood. 
Uncas  therefore  demanded  of  him,  why  he  would  not  speak. 
Said  he,  '  Had  you  taken  me,  I  should  have  besought  you 
for  my  life.'  Uncas,  for  the  present,  spared  his  life,  though 
he  would  not  ask  it,  and  returned  with  great  triumph  to 
Mohegan,  carrying  the  Narragansett  sachem,  as  an  illustrious 
trophy  of  victory." 

Intelligence  of  the  capture  of  Miantonimoh  having  reached 
the  English,  Uncas  was  ordered  by  them  to  take  his  prisoner 
to  Hartford,  to  advise  with  the  governor  and  magistrates 
what  should  be  done  with  him. 

The  governor  and  magistrates  were  of  opinion,  that  as 
there  was  no  open  war  between  them  and  the  Narragansetts, 
it  was  not  prudent  for  them  to  intermeddle  with  the  quarrel ; 
but  advised,  that  the  whole  affair  should  be  referred  to  the 
commissioners  of  the  United  Colonies,  at  their  meeting  in 
September. 

How  long  Miantonimoh  continued  speechless  does  not 
appear ;  but  it  is  certain,  that  when  he  came  to  Hartford,  his 
mouth  was  opened.  He  most  earnestly  pleaded  to  be  left 
in  the  custody  of  the  English.  He  probably  expected  more 
safety  and  better  treatment  with  them,  than  with  Uncas. 
Uncas  consented  to  leave  him  at  Hartford,  but  insisted  that 
he  should  be  kept  as  his  prisoner.  He  was  therefore  kept, 
under  guard,  at  Hartford,  until  the  meeting  of  the  com 
missioners. 

On  the  7th  of  September  the  commissioners  met  at  Bos 
ton.  Before  them  was  laid  the  case  of  the  two  contending 
chiefs,  upon  which  they  finally  resolved,  "  That  as  it  was 
evident  that  Uncas  could  not  be  safe,  while  Miantonimoh 
lived,  but  that,  either  by  secret  treachery  or  open  force,  his 
life  would  be  continually  in  danger,  he  might  justly  put  such 
a  false  and  blood-thirsty  enemy  to  death."  They  determined 
Uncas  should  not  do  it  in  any  of  the  English  plantations,  but 
in  his  own  jurisdiction.  At  the  same  time,  they  advised  that 
no  torture  or  cruelty,  but  all  mercy  and  moderation  be  exer 
cised  in  the  manner  of  his  execution. 

Immediately  upon  the  return  of  the  commissioners  of 
Connecticut  and  New  Haven,  Uncas,  with  a  competent  num 
ber  of  his  most  trusty  men,  was  ordered  to  repair  forthwith 


MIANTONIMOH. 


166  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


NORWICH. 


to  Hartford.  He  was  made  acquainted  with  the  determina 
tion  of  the  commissioners,  and  received  his  prisoner,  march 
ed  with  him  to  the  spot  where  he  had  been  taken.  At  the 
instant  they  arrived  on  the  around,  one  of  Uncas's  men,  who 
marched  behind  Miantonimoh,  split  his  head  with  a  hatchet, 
killing  him  at  a  single  stroke.  He  was  probably  unacquaint 
ed  with  his  fate,  and  knew  not  by  what  means  he  fell.  Uncas 
cut  out  a  large  piece  of  his  shoulder  and  ate  it  in  savage  tri 
umph.  He  said,  "  It  was  the  sweetest  meat  he  ever  ate  ;  it 
made  his  heart  strong." 

The  Mohegans,  by  order  of  Uncas,  buried  him  at  the 
place  of  his  execution,  and  erected  a  great  heap  or  pillar 
upon  his  grave.  Two  Englishmen  were  sent  with  Uncas,  to 
see  that  the  execution  was  done,  and  to  prevent  all  torture 
and  cruelty  in  the  manner  of  its  performance.  Connecticut 
and  New  Haven,  agreeably  to  the  direction  of  the  commis 
sioners,  sent  a  party  of  soldiers  to  Mohegan,  to  defend  Un 
cas  against  any  assault  which  might  be  made  upon  him,  by 
the  Narragansetts,  in  consequence  of  the  execution  of  their 
sachem.* 

Miantonimoh  was  buried  on  the  spot  where  he  was  slain. 
But  a  few  years  since,  a  large  heap  of  stones,  thrown  to 
gether  by  the  wandering  Indians,  according  to  the  custom 
of  their  country,  and  as  a  melancholy  mark  of  the  love  that 
the  Narragansetts  had  for  their  fallen  chief,  lay  on  his  grave; 
but  the  despicable  cupidity  of  some  people  in  that  vicinity, 
has  removed  them  to  make  common  stone  wall,  as  it  saved 
them  the  trouble  of  gathering  stones  for  that  purpose.  The 
spot  of  his  sepulture  is,  however,  yet  known. t 

Some  additional  particulars  of  this  renowned  chief  of  the 
Mohegans  will  doubtless  interest  our  friends.  The  Mohegan 
tribe  appears  to  have  been  originally  a  part  of  the  Pequot 
nation — a  tribe  inveterate  towards  the  English,  and  the  terror 
of  the  Indian  tribes  in  the  vicinity.  At  the  time  the  English 
settled  Connecticut,  Uncas  was  chief  sachem  of  the  Mohe 
gan  tribe.  He  had  been,  it  is  thought,  a  war-captain  under 
Sassacus.  At  this  time,  however,  he  was  in  open  rebellion 
against  that  chief;  but  he  possessed  little  influence,  and  un 
aided,  must  soon  have  been  brought  to  terms  by  the  haughty 
and  warlike  Sassacus. 

"Trumbull.  t  Mass.  His.  Collections,  vol.  3. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  167 


Uncas  perceived  the  advantage  of  friendship  to  the  Eng 
lish.  He  was  probably  sincere  in  his  good  will — but  con 
nected  with  this  was  his  own  interest,  lie  was  ever  faithful 
to  them,  although  they  at  first  doubted  his  fidelity.  Governor 
Wolcott  thus  speaks  of  him  ;* 

'Twas  here  [at  Hartford]  that  Uncas  did  the  army  meet, 
With  many  stout  Mohegans  at  his  feet. 
He  to  the  general  [Masont]  goes,  and  doth  declare, 
He  came  for  our  assistance  in  the  war. 

He  was  that  Sagamore,  whom  great  Sassacus's  rage 
Had  hitherto  kept  under  vassalage. 
But  weary  of  his  great  severity, 
He  now  revolts  and  to  the  English  fly. 
With  cheerful  air  our  captain  him  embraces, 
And  him,  and  his  chief  men  with  titles  graces: 
But  over  them  preserved  a  jealous  eye, 
Lest  all  this  might  be  done  in  treachery. 

It  reflects  credit  upon  Mason,  that  he  was  thus  wary  of  a 
stranger  ;  but  he  soon  became  convinced  that  of  whatever 
other  good  traits  of  character  Uncas  might  be  destitute,  he 
was  not  wanting  in  fidelity.  "  The  Mohegans  embarked 
with  Mason's  ninety  men,  on  board  a  pink  or  pinnace  and 
a  shallop,  both  of  which,  the  water  being  low  in  the  river,. 
[Connecticut,]  fell  aground  several  times.  The  Indians  dis 
liked  this  new  species  of  navigation,  and  especially  so  much 
of  it  as  pertained  to  the  flats  and  sands  ;  and  Uncas  was  still 
more  impatient  to  recommend  himself  by  an  active  com 
mencement  of  the  war.  He  therefore  requested  that  he  and 
his  men  might  be  set  on  shore,  promising  to  join  Mason 
again  at  Saybrook.  His  request  was  granted;  and  he  not 
only  redeemed  his  promise,  but,  meeting  a  considerable  par 
ty  of  Pequots  on  the  route,  he  attacked  them  with  great  spir 
it,  and  killed  seven  of  their  number — 'which,'  says  Captain 
Mason,  '  we  looked  at  as  a  special  Providence;  for,  before, 
we  were  somewhat  doubtful  of  his  fidelity.'  " 

This  good  opinion  was  daily  confirmed  by  the  Sachem's 
conversation  and  conduct.  "  Indeed,"  says  Captain  Mason, 
"  he  was  a  great  friend,  and  did  great  service. — I  shall  nev- 

*  Wolcott's  "  Poetical  Account  of  Mr.  Winthiop's  agency  in  obtain 
ing  a  Charter  for  Connecticut." 

t  This  was  Captain  Mason,  who  led  the  Connecticut  forces  against 
Mystic  Fort,  soon  after  the  settlement  of  the  Colony. 


168  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


er  forget  him."  At  the  commencement  of  the  campaign, 
the  various  Indians  who  engaged  in  it  were  in  high  glee. — 
They  gathered  into  a  ring,  and  one  by  one  made  solemn 
protestations  how  gallantly  they  would  demean  themselves, 
and  how  many  men  they  would  kill.  But  Uncas  said  -very 
little,  until  Mason  inquired  of  him  what  these  Indians  would 
do.  "  Nothing,"  answered  he  gravely  ;  "  the  Narragansetts 
will  leave  you  to  a  man.  I  can  only  say  for  myself,  that  I 
never  will."  And  he  never  did.  The  Narragansetts,  who 
had  vaunted  themselves  on  the  example  they  should  be 
obliged  to  set  the  English,  to  encourage  them  in  their  attack 
upon  the  enemy,  soon  fell  into  the  back  ground,  and  many  of 
them  returned  home."*  The  Indians,  and  especially  the 
Narragansetts,  were  "  horribly  afraid"  of  the  Pequots.  But 
Uncas  appears  to  have  had  courage,  which  never  forsook 
him,  for  after  the  real  success  which  attended  the  assault  of 
the  English  upon  Mystic  Fort,  and  the  utter  destruction 
which  was  caused  among  the  Narragansetts,  while  most  of 
the  Indians  who  had  remained  till  after  the  assault,  now  de 
serted,  or  at  last  disappeared,  under  a  fear  of  falling  in  with 
the  wandering  Pequots,  Uncas  remained  steadfast  and  un 
flinching." 

"  A  small  harbor"  continues  Mr.  Thatcher,  "  in  the  south 
western  part  of  the  town  of  Guilford,  in  Connecticut,  has  to 
this  day  a  name  derived  from  one  of  his  achievements.  He 
and  his  Mohegans,  with  a  few  of  the  English,  having  under 
taken,  when  the  enemy  fled  westward,  to  scour  the  shores 
near  the  sea  for  the  purpose  of  cutting  off  stragglers,  came 
up  with  a  Pequot  Sachem,  and  a  few  men,  not  far  from  this 
harbor,  and  pursued  them.  As  the  south  side  of  the  harbor 
is  formed  by  a  long  narrow  neck  of  land,  the  Pequots  went 
out  upon  that  point,  hoping  that  their  pursuers  would  pass 
them.  But  Uncas,  perceiving  the  stratagem,  ordered  some 
of  his  men  to  give  chase,  which  the  enemy  observing,  swam 
over  the  mouth  of  the  harbor.  There  they  were  waylayed, 
and  taken  as  they  landed.  A  council  being  held,  and  the 
Sachem  sentenced  to  death,  Uncas  himself  is  said  to  have 
shot  him  with  an  arrow,  cut  off  his  head,  and  set  it  up  in  the 
crotch  of  a  large  oak  tree  near  the  water.  The  skull  re 
mained  there  many  years,  and  the  name  of  the  "  SACHEM'S 
HEAD  "  has  been  ever  since  attached  to  the  harbor.t 

*  Thatcher's  Indian  Biography. 
t  History  of  Guilford,  Mass.  Hist.  Coll. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  169 


"  The  remuneration  to  Uncas  for  the  part  he  took  in  this 
war,  was  a  portion  of  the  Pequot  territory,  (which  he  after 
wards  sold  to  the  English,)  and  100  captives  of  that  tribe  ; 
and  this  with  the  honor  of  having  subdued  his  real  Pequot 
rival,  and  the  reputation  of  being  upon  the  most  flattering 
and  favorable  terms  of  intercourse  with  the  English,  made 
him  at  once  a  character  of  high  dignity,  and  of  no  little  in 
fluence.  Indians  began  to  collect  around  him  from  neighbor 
ing  tribes,  and  he  could  now  muster  four  or  five  hundred 
warriors.  The  colony  of  Connecticut  treated  with  him  and 
made  him  presents,  and  permitted  him  to  exercise  dominion, 
and  to  give  deeds  of  territory,  in  all  respects  like  an  inde 
pendent  and  sovereign  authority,  while  he  enjoyed  at  the 
same  time,  the  benefit  of  their  personal  patronage  and  the 
protection  of  his  tribe  from  their  enemies. 

"In  July,  1638,  Uncas  visited  in  person  the  authorities  of 
Massachusetts,  at  Boston — the  only  visit  of  mere  ceremony, 
which  is  recorded  of  him  in  history. 

"  He  came  attended  by  thirty-seven  men,  and  accompanied 
by  Gov.  Haynes,  whom  he  had  called  upon  by  the  way.  He 
offered  the  Governor  of  Massachusetts  a  present  of  twenty 
fathoms  of  wampum,  which  being  in  open  court  the  council 
thought  fit  to  refuse  it,  '  till  he  had  given  satisfaction  about 
the  Pequots  he  kept,'  &c.  ;  upon  this,  he  appeared  much  de 
jected,  and  even  affected  to  apprehend  that  his  life  was  in 
danger.  But  he  was  not  long  at  a  loss.  Evidence  was'pro- 
duced,  which  counteracted  the  main  suspicions  that  rested 
upon  him ;  and  he  promised  to  submit  his  controversy  with 
the  Narragansetts  to  English  arbitration,  and  to  follow  any 
arrangement  they  should  make  as  to  his  Pequots. 

"  The  present  was  now  accepted,  and  about  half  an  hour 
afterwards,  he  went  to  the  Governor,  and  addressed  him  in 
the  following  terms  :  '  This  heart ' — he  said,  laying  his  hand 
on  his  breast — '  is  not  mine,  but  yours.  I  have  no  men. 
They  are  all  yours.  Command  me  any  hard  thing — I  will 
do  it.  I  will  not  believe  any  Indian's  words  against  the 
English.  If  any  man  shall  kill  an  Englishman,  I  ivill  put 
him  to  death,  were  he  never  so  dear  to  me.'  The  Governor 
gave  him  a  handsome  red  coat,  defrayed  the  expenses  of  his 
visit,  and  furnished  him  with  provisions  for  his  return  jour 
ney,  and  a  general  letter  of  protection — and  so  '  he  departed 
very  joyful.'  ' 


170  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

NORWICH. 

According  to  Mr.  Thatcher,  to  whose  narrative  we  are  in 
debted  for  the  above  sketches,  "  Uncas  was  in  less  favor  with 
the  English,  towards  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  than  for 
merly.  He  did  not  come  to  an  open  rupture  with  them  at 
any  time;  and  his  subjects,  though  frequently  insolent,  were 
never  hostile.  Their  last  services  during  the  life  of  Uncas, 
were  during  Philip's  war,  when  a  party  of  them  was  com 
manded  by  Onecho,  a  son  of  Uncas,  and  by  other  Sachems. 
The  father  was  then  too  old  a  man  to  endure  much  more 
labor  and  weariness." 

"It  has  been  stated  that  Uncas  was  at  last  convinced  of 
the  truth  of  Christianity,  and  that  he  died  in  the  faith.  The 
only  proof  of  it  is  derived,  it  is  believed,  from  the  following 
anecdote  : 

"In  the  summer  of  1676,  a  great  drought  prevailed 
throughout  New  England,  which  was  extremely  severe  in 
the  Mohegan  country.  The  corn  was  dried  up  in  August, 
and  the  fruit  and  leaves  fell  from  the  trees,  as  in  autumn. 
The  Indians  were  alarmed,  but  knew  not  what  to  do.  Ac 
cording  to  custom,  they  applied  to  their  Powahs,  to  inter 
cede  with  the  Great  Spirit,  for  rain,  after  their  manner  ;  but 
these  men  labored  in  vain.  They  went  to  the  English  set 
tlement  at  Norwich,  and  Uncas  went  with  them.  He  told 
Mr.  Fitch,  the  clergyman  at  that  place,  that  it  was  a  hard 
case  with  them — the  Powahs  could  do  them  no  service — they 
must  apply  to  the  English  God.  Mr.  Fitch  appointed  a  fast 
day,  at  these  and  other  suggestions.  The  weather  on  that 
occasion  was  clear,  but  about  sunset,  at  the  close  of  the  reli 
gious  services,  some  clouds  arose.  The  next  day  also  was 
cloudy.  Uncas  now  went  up  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Fitch  with 
many  Indians,  and  lamented  the  great  want  of  rain.  *  If 
God  shall  send  it,'  said  Mr.  Fitch,  '  will  you  not  attribute  it 
to  your  Powahs?'  *  No,'  answered  the  Sachem  ;  *  we  have 
done  our  utmost,  but  all  in  vain.'  The  clergyman  then  told 
him,  that  if  he  would  make  the  declaration  before  the  In 
dians,  they  should  see  what  God  would  do  for  them.  Uncas 
then  made  a  speech  to  the  Indians,  confessing  with  particu 
lar  emphasis,  that  if  God  should  grant  this  favor,  it  could  not 
be  in  consequence  of  their  povvawing,  but  must  be  ascribed 
to  the  clergyman's  prayers.  Of  the  sequel  we  only  know, 
that  upon  the  day  following,  there  was  so  copious  a  rain  that 
the  river  rose  more  than  two  feet."* 

*  Thatcher's  Indian  Biography. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  171 


In  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Fitch,  Uncas  gave  no  good  evidence 
of  faith  in  the  Gospel.  He  with  other  chiefs  did  indeed  for 
a  time,  appear  to  give  attention  to  preaching,  but  they  at 
length  not  only  withdrew  themselves,  but  discouraged  the 
Indians  from  an  attendance  upon  the  ministry  of  the  word 
of  God.  Mr.  Gookin  characterizes  Uncas,  but  perhaps  se 
verely,  as  an  old,  wicked,  and  wilful  man  ;  a  drunkard,  and 
otherwise  very  vicious,  who  has  always  been  an  opposer 
and  underrniner  of  praying  to  God:  "  It  is  to  be  feared, 
that  excepting  his  fidelity  to  the  English,  and  this  trait  of 
character  was  highly  honorable  to  him,  he  had  no  qualities, 
which  entitled  him  to  that  respect,  which  for  a  time  he 
enjoyed." 

The  last  we  hear  of  Uncas  is  in  1680,  when  he  must  have 
been  a  very  old  man,  yet  even  at  this  advanced  age  he  was 
enjoying  good  health,  and  considerable  vigor  of  constitution. 
A  remnant  of  his  tribe  still  exists  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Norwich.  They  own  a  reservation  of  about  three  thousand 
acres  of  land.  They  are  the  only  natives  of  the  numerous 
tribes  which  were  once  spread  over  the  State.  The  last 
Sachem  of  the  tribe  was  Isaiah  Uncas,  who  was  once  a 
pupil  in  the  celebrated  school  of  Dr.  Wheelock,  at  Lebanon. 
The  following  epitaph,  copied  by  President  Stiles  from  a 
grave-stone  in  the  old  Indian  burial  ground  at  Mohegan,  in 
dicates  the  end  of  the  genealogy  : 

Here  lies  the  body  of  SUNSEETO, 

Own  son  to  Uncas,  grandson  to  ONEKO, 

Who  were  the  famous  Sachems  of  MOHEGAN  ; 

But  now  they  are  all  dead,  I  think  it  is  WERHEEGEN.* 

The  Mohegnn  Indians  still  preserve  some  of  the  peculiar 
customs  of  their  ancestors.  "  On  the  16th  of  October,  1827," 
says  Mrs.  Huntington,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Holmes,  "  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Palmer  of  this  city,  was  invited  to  attend  the  funeral  of 
an  Indian  child,  which  was  to  be  deposited  in  the  '  Shantup 
burying  ground.'  In  approaching  the  ground,  the  relics  of 
two  Indians,  and  also  two  spoons,  were  seen  lying  beside  it. 
Expressing  a  wish  to  obtain  them,  Mr.  P.  received  no  im 
mediate  answer,  until  a  youth  of  their  company  had  whis 
pered  something  in  every  ear  from  the  oldest  to  the  young 
est.  At  the  close  of  the  exercises,  with  great  formality,  the 

*  IVerheegen  was  a  Mohegan  term  signifying  "  Ml  is  2cell,"  or  Good 
news.  Oneko,  or  Onecho, commanded  in  Philip's  war. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  173 


NEW    LONDON. 


young  Indian  replied,  your  request  is  granted  !  In  answer 
to  the  inquiry  why  two  skeletons  were  found  in  the  ground, 
an  old  woman  replied,  it  was  an  Indian  and  Squaw;  and  in 
formed  him  farther  that  according  to  their  custom,  the  bodies 
were  deposited  in  an  upright  position,  within  a  circular  grave, 
and  a  pot  of  succotash  between  them,  the  fragments  of  which 
were  found.  The  decayed  stump  of  a  large  tree  covering 
the  relics,  indicated  the  antiquity  of  the  grave."* 


NEW  LONDON. 

The  settlement  of  New  London  was  begun  by  the  English 
in  1646  ;  but  a  part  of  those  who  entered  upon  the  lands  this 
year,  soon  became  discouraged,  and  left  the  place.  The 
following  year,  however,  Mr.  Richard  Blinrnan,  a  man  of 
energy  and  enterprise,  who  had  been  a  minister  in  England, 
removed  from  Gloucester  to  the  new  settlement :  in  conse 
quence  of  which  a  considerable  addition  was  made  to  the 
number  who  had  kept  their  station.  In  1648,  the  number 
of  settlers  had  so  increased,  that  the  inhabitants  consisted 
of  more  than  fifty  families.  Some  of  the  principal  men  were 
John  Winthrop,  Esquire,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Blinman,  Thomas 
Minot,  Samuel  Lothrop,  Robert  Allyn,  and  James  Avery. 
For  their  encouragement,  the  General  Court  granted  them  a 
three  years' exemption  from  all  colonial  taxation.  Mr.  Win 
throp  was  authorized  to  superintend  the  affairs  of  the  planta 
tion.  The  next  year,  a  court  was  appointed  for  the  trial  of 
small  causes.  The  judges  were  Mr.  Winthrop,  Thomas  Mi 
not,  and  Samuel  Lothrop.  The  Indian  name  of  the  place 
was  Nameaug,  alias  Towawog.  In  1654,  the  whole  tract, 
now  comprised  within  the  towns  of  New  London  andGroton, 
was  called  Pcquot,  from  the  name  of  the  harbor,  and  origi 
nal  inhabitants.  By  this  it  was  known  for  about  four  years. 
On  the  24th  of  March,  1658,  the  assembly  passed  an  act  re 
specting  it,  which  is  so  curious,  and  expressive  of  the  feeling 
of  our  ancestors  towards  their  native  country,  as  to  render  it 
worthy  of  publication  : 

*  Holmes's  Annals. 


174  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

NEW    LONDON. 

"  WHEREAS  it  hath  been  the  commendable  practice  of  the 
inhabitants  of  all  the  colonies  of  these  parts,  that  as  this  coun 
try  hath  its  denomination  from  our  dear  native  country  of 
England,  and  thence  is  called  New  England  ;  so  the  planters, 
in  their  first  settling  of  most  new  plantations,  have  given 
names  to  those  plantations  of  some  cities  and  towns  in  Eng 
land,  thereby  intending  to  keep  up  and  leave  to  posterity  the 
memorial  of  several  places  of  note  there,  as  Boston,  Hartford, 
Windsor,  York,  Ipswich,  Braintree,  Exeter;  this  court  con 
sidering,  that  there  hath  yet  no  place  in  any  of  the  colonies, 
been  named  in  memory  of  the  city  of  London,  there  being  a 
new  plantation  within  this  jurisdiction  of  Connecticut,  settled 
upon  that  fair  river  Mohegan,  in  the  Pequot  country,  being 
an  excellent  harbor,  and  a  fit  and  convenient  place  for  fu 
ture  trade,  it  being  also  the  only  place  which  the  English 
in  these  parts  have  possessed  by  conquest,  and  that  upon  a 
very  just  war,  upon  that  great  and  warlike  people,  the  Pe- 
quots,  that  therefore  they  might  thereby  leave  to  posterity 
the  memory  of  that  renowned  city  of  London,  from  whence 
we  had  our  transportation,  have  thought  fit,  in  honor  to  that 
famous  city,  to  call  the  said  plantation  NEW  LONDON." 

The  name  of  the  river  was  also  changed  and  called  the 
Thames.* 

New  London  is  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Thames, 
three  miles  from  Long  Island  Sound.  As  a  town,  it  is  the 
smallest  in  the  State,  being  but  four  miles  in  length  from 
north  to  south,  and  on  an  average  about  three-fourths  of  a 
mile  irftfcreadth.  It  is  the  semi-seat  of  justice  for  the  coun 
ty,  and  a  port  of  entry.  It  is  42  miles  south-east  from  Hart 
ford,  and  53  east  from  New  Haven. 

The  city  is  situated  on  a  declivity,  which  descends  east 
and  south.  From  the  summit  of  the  hill  in  the  rear  of  the 
most  populous  part  of  the  city,  a  beautiful  prospect  of  the 
surrounding  country  presents  itself.  The  principal  streets 
are  parallel  with  the  river  ;  and  are  crossed  by  others  nearly 
at  right  angles ;  but  without  any  regularity,  either  in  the 
distances,  or  their  direction.  The  natural  surface  of  the 
ground  is  uneven,  and  abounds  with  granite  rocks.  The 
houses  are  less  beautiful,  and  in  less  thorough  repair,  than 
one  would  suppose,  considering  the  wealth  of  the  inhabitants. 

"Trumbull's  History  of  Connecticut. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  175 


NEW    LONDON. 


Before  the  Revolution,  the  commerce  of  the  place  was  con 
siderable — but  subsequently  it  sensibly  declined.  A  spirit 
of  enterprise  has,  however,  within  a  few  years,  been  mani 
fested — the  coasting  and  foreign  trade  has  revived — a  steam 
boat  communication  with  New  York  has  been  opened — and 
the  whale  fishery  is  carried  on  extensively  and  profitably.  A 
capital  of  a  million  and  a  half  of  dollars  is  devoted  to  this 
latter  business,  and  not  less  than  thirty  ships,  which  give  em 
ployment  to  1,600  seamen,  are  engaged  in  this  adventurous 
business.  Several  vessels  are  also  engaged  in  sealing.  In 
consequence  of  this  enterprise,  and  the  profits  which  have 
grown  out  of  it,  considerable  improvements  have  been  made 
in  the  city.  Some  fine  buildings  have  been  erected,  and  the 
streets  have  been  straightened  and  levelled. 

"  The  fish  market,"  says  Dr.  Dwight,  "  is  believed  to  be 
the  best,  except  that  of  Newport,  in  the  United  States.  A 
considerable  part  of  the  fish  sold  in  New  York  are  supplied 
by  the  fishermen  of  New  London,  from  the  waters  in  its 
neighborhood." 

The  harbor  is  reported  to  be  one  of  the  best  on  the  whole 
coast  of  the  United  States.  It  is  three  miles  long,  and  vessels 
of  almost  any  size  find  in  it  sufficient  water,  and  good  and 
safe  anchoring  ground.  During  the  extreme  cold  in  Janu 
ary,  1835,  while  the  navigation  of  the  harbor  of  New  York 
was  closed  with  ice,  the  harbor  of  New  London  remained 
open  and  unobstructed. 

New  London  contains  a  court-house,  jail,  custom-house, 
three  banks,  two  markets,  nine  churches,  sixty  stores,  two 
insurance  offices,  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dwell  ings,-*  three 
printing-presses,  and  about  8, 994  inhabitants.  The  register 
ed  tonnage  in  1840  exceeded  44,000  tons,  including  several 
vessels  engaged  in  the  whaling  business. 

The  city  is  defended  by  two  forts.  Fort  Trumbull  and 
Fort  Griswold.  The  former  stands  on  the  New  London 
side  of  the  Thames,  about  a  mile  below  the  city.  It  is  sit 
uated  on  the  extremity  of  a  peninsula,  extending  eastward 
into  the  river.  It  was  built  during  the  Revolutionary  war, 
under  the  superintendence  of  Colonel  John  Ely,  of  Say- 
brook.  Fort  Griswold  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  Thames,  on 
a  commanding  eminence,  opposite  the  city,  in  the  town  of 
Groton.  It  is  not  at  present  garrisoned,  and  is  considerably 
out  of  repair. 


176  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


NEW     LONDON. 


Towards  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  a  most  dis 
graceful  attack  was  made  upon  New  London  by  a  body  of 
British  troops,  under  command  of  the  ever  infamous  Bene 
dict  Arnold.  The  attack  was  made  September  6th,  1781. 
The  Editor  of  the  Connecticut  Gazette,  printed  at  New 
London,  on  the  day  after,  gave  the  following  account  of  the 
transaction,  in  his  columns  : 

"  About  daybreak  on  Thursday  morning  last,  24  sail  of 
the  enemy's  shipping  appeared  to  the  westward  of  this  harbor, 
which  by  many  were  supposed  to  be  a  plundering  party  after 
stock ;  alarm  guns  were  immediately  fired,  but  the  discharge 
of  cannon  in  the  harbor  has  become  so  frequent  of  late,  that 
they  answered  little  or  no  purpose.  The  defenceless  state 
of  the  fortifications  and  the  town  are  obvious  to  our  readers; 
a  few  of  the  inhabitants,  who  were  equipped,  advanced  to 
wards  the  place,  where  the  enemy  were  thought  likely  to 
make  their  landing,  and  manoeuvred  on  the  heights  adjacent, 
until  the  enemy  about  nine  o'clock  landed  in  two  divisions, 
and  about  800  men  each,  one  of  them  at  Brown's  farm 
near  the  lighthouse,  the  other  at  Groton  Point :  the  division 
that  landed  near  the  lighthouse,  marched  up  the  road,  keep 
ing  up  large  flanking  parties,  who  were  attacked  in  different 
places  on  their  march  by  the  inhabitants,  who  had  spirit 
and  resolution  to  oppose  their  progress.  The  main  body  of 
the  enemy  proceeded  to  the  town,  set  fire  to  the  stores  on 
the  beach,  and  immediately  after  to  the  dwelling  houses  lying 
on  Mill  Cove.  The  scattered  fire  of  our  little  parties,  un 
supported  by  our  neighbors  more  distant,  galled  them  so  that 
they  soon  began  to  retire,  setting  fire  promiscuously  on  their 
way.  The  fire  from  the  stores  communicated  to  the  shipping 
that  lay  at  the  wharfs,  and  a  number  were  burnt ;  others 
swung  to  single  fast,  and  remained  unhurt. 

"  At  four  o'clock,  they  began  to  quit  the  town  with  great 
precipitation,  and  were  pursued  by  our  brave  citizens  with 
the  spirit  and  ardor  of  veterans,  and  driven  on  board  their 
boats.  Five  of  the  enemy  were  killed,  and  about  twenty 
wounded ;  among  the  latter  is  a  Hessian  captain,  who  is  a 
prisoner,  as  are  seven  others.  We  lost  four  killed,  and  ten 
or  twelve  wounded,  some  mortally. 

"  The  most  valuable  part  of  the  town  is  reduced  to  ashes, 
and  all  the  stores.  Fort  Trumbull,  not  being  tenable  on  the 
land  side,  was  evacuated  as  the  enemy  advanced,  and  the 


BENEDICT   ARNOLD. 


12 


178  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


NEW    LONDOX. 


fe\v  men  in  it  crossed  the  river  to  Fort  Grisvvold,  on  Groton 
Hill,  which  was  soon  after  invested  by  the  division  that  land 
ed  on  that  point :  the  fort  having  in  it  only  about  120  men, 
chiefly  militia,  hastily  collected  ;  they  defended  it  with  the 
greatest  resolution  and  bravery,  and  once  repulsed  the  enemy  : 
kbut  the  fort  being  out  of  repair,  could  not  be  defended  by 
such  a  handful  of  men,  though  brave  and  determined,  against 
so  superior  a  number ;  and  after  having  a  number  of  their 
party  killed  and  wounded,  they  found  that  further  resist 
ance  would  be  in  vain,  and  resigned  the  fort.  Immediately 
on  the  surrendry,  the  valiant  Colonel  Ledyard,  whose  fate 
in  a  particular  manner  is  much  lamented,  and  70  other  offi 
cers  and  men,  were  murdered,  most  of  whom  were  heads  of 
families.  The  enemy  lost  a  Major,  Montgomery,  and  40 
officers  and  men  in  the  attack,  who  were  found  buried  near 
the  fort :  the  wounded  were  carried  off. 

"  Soon  after  the  enemy  got  possession  of  the  fort,  they  set 
fire  to  and  burnt  a  considerable  number  of  dwelling  houses 
and  stores  on  Groton  bank,  and  embarked  about  sunset, 
taking  with  them  sundry  inhabitants  of  New  London  and 
Groton.  A  Colonel  Eyre,  who  commanded  the  division  at 
Groton,  was  wounded,  and  it  is  said  died  on  board  the  fleet 
the  night  they  embarked.  About  15  sail  of  vessels,  with  the 
effects  of  the  inhabitants,  retreated  up  the  river  on  the  ap 
pearance  of  the  enemy,  and  were  saved,  and  four  others  re 
mained  in  the  harbor  unhurt.  The  troops  were  commanded 
by  that  infamous  traitor,  Benedict  Arnold,  who  headed  the 
division  which  marched  up  to  the  town.  By  this  calamity  it 
is  judged  that  more  than  one  hundred  families  are  deprived 
of  their  habitations,  and  most  of  their  all.  This  neighbor 
hood  feel  sensibly  the  loss  of  so  many  deserving  citizens, 
and  though  deceased,  cannot  but  be  highly  indebted  to  them, 
for  their  spirit  and  bravery  in  their  exertions  and  manly 
opposition  to  the  merciless  enemies  of  our  country,  in  their 
last  moments. 

"  The  following  savage  action,  committed  by  the  troops, 
who  subdued  Fort  Griswold,  on  Groton  Hill,  on  Thursday 
last,  ought  to  be  recorded  to  their  eternal  infamy.  Soon 
after  the  surrender  of  the  fort,  they  loaded  a  wagon  with  our 
wounded  men,  by  order  of  their  officers,  and  set  the  wagon 
off  from  the  top  of  the  hill,  which  is  long  and  very  steep. 
The  wagon  went  a  considerable  distance  with  great  force, 
till  it  was  suddenly  stopped  by  a  tree  ;  the  shock  was  so  great 


ISO  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


NEW    LONDON. 


to  these  faint  and  bleeding  men,  that  some  of  them  died  in 
stantly.  The  officers  ordered  the  men  to  fire  on  the  wagon, 
while  it  was  running." 

The  buildings  burnt  at  New  London  in  this  expedition  by 
the  British  troops,  were  65  dwelling  houses  containing  97 
families,  31  stores,  IS  shops,  20  barns,  and  9  public  and 
other  buildings,  among  which  were  the  Court  House,  Gaol, 
and  Church — in  all  143. 

"  In  many  instances,  where  houses  were  situated  at  a  great 
distance  from  any  stores,  and  contained  nothing  but  house 
hold  furniture,  they  were  set  on  fire,  notwithstanding  the 
earnest  cries  and  entreaties  of  the  women  and  children  in 
them,  who  were  threatened  with  being  burnt  in  them,  if  they 
did  not  instantly  leave  them.  Indeed  two  houses  were 
bought  off"  for  c£lO  each,  of  an  officer  who  appeared  to  be  a 
Captain,  upon  condition,  however,  that  he  should  not  be 
made  known ;  and  where  the  houses  were  not  burnt,  they 
were  chiefly  plundered  of  all  that  could  be  carried  off.  At  the 
harbor's  mouth,  the  houses  of  poor  fishermen  were  stripped 
of  all  their  furniture  of  every  kind,  the  poor  people  having 
nothing  but  the  clothes  that  they  had." 

About  the  year  1720,  a  sect  arose  in  New  London,  called, 
from  their  leader,  Rogcrcncs.  The  following  account  of  this 
people  is  from  Dr.  Trumbull's  History  of  Connecticut,  second 
volume. 

"  The  Rogerenes  were  a  sort  of  Quakers,  who  had  their 
origin  and  name  from  one  John  Rogers,  of  New  London, 
lie  was  a  man  of  unbounded  ambition,  and  wished  to  be 
something  more  than  common  men.  One  Case  and  one 
Banks,  two  lewd  men,  called  singing  Quakers,  coming 
through  the  colony  singing  and  dancing,  accompanied  with 
a  number  of  women  to  assist  them  in  their  musical  exer 
cises ;  and  especially  to  proclaim  how  their  lips  dropped 
with  myrrh  and  honey,  fell  in  company  with  John,  and  at 
once  made  a  convert  of  him  to  their  religion.  He,  in  a  high 
degree  imbibed  their  spirit  and  ever  retained  it.  Notwith 
standing,  it  was  not  long  after,  before  he  commenced  a 
seventh-day  Baptist.  After  maintaining  the  opinion  of  this 
sect  for  a  short  time,  he  returned  again  to  Quakerism.  To 
gratify  his  pride,  and  that  he  might  appear  as  the  head  of  a 
peculiar  s*-ct,  lie  ditfered  in  several  points  from  the  Quakers; 
particularly,  that  there  were  three  ordinances  of  religious 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  181 


NEW    LONDON. 


use,  baptism,  the  Lord's  supper,  and  imposition  of  hands. 
To  make  himself  more  eminent,  as  the  head  of  a  new  sect, 
he  commenced  preacher  of  his  peculiar  scheme,  and  without 
any  kind  of  ordination,  administered  baptism  to  his  followers. 
The  madness,  immodesty,  arid  tumultuous  conduct  of  Rog 
ers,  and  those  who  followed  him,  at  this  day,  is  hardly  con 
ceivable.  It  seemed  to  be  their  study  and  delight  to  violate 
the  Sabbath,  insult  magistrates  and  ministers,  and  to  trample 
on  all  law  and  authority,  human  and  divine.  They  would 
come,  on  the  Lord's  day,  into  the  most  public  assemblies 
nearly  or  quite  naked,  and  in  the  time  of  public  worship, 
behave  in  a  wild  and  tumultuous  manner,  crying  out,  and 
charging  the  most  venerable  ministers  with  lies  and  false 
doctrines.  They  would  labor  upon  the  Lord's  day,  drive 
carts  by  places  of  public  worship,  and  from  town  to  town, 
apparently  on  purpose  to  disturb  Christians  and  Christian 
assemblies.  They  seemed  to  take  pains  to  violate  the  laws 
in  the  presence  of  officers,  that  they  might  be  complained  of, 
and  have  an  opportunity  to  insult  the  laws,  the  courts,  and 
all  civil  authority. 

"  A  particular  instance  of  their  conduct  on  a  certain  occa 
sion,  when  Rogers  was  indicted  for  a  high  misdemeanor, 
may  serve  as  a  specimen  of  their  spirit  and  conduct  in  gen 
eral.  The  crime  for  which  he  was  indicted,  arid  the  manner 
of  his  own  and  his  followers'  conduct,  will  appear  from 
the  following  extract  from  '  Pratt's  Historical  Account  of 
Quakerism.' 

"  '  It  was  his  manner  to  rush  into  the  assembly  on  the 
Lord's  day,  in  the  time  of  God's  worship,  in  a  very  boister 
ous  way,  and  to  charge  the  minister  with  lies  and  false  doc 
trine  ;  and  to  scream,  shout,  stamp,  &/c.  by  which  he  offered 
insufferable  molestations  to  the  worship  and  people  of  God. 
And  this  was  his  manner  in  the  court  also,  when  he  pleased, 
or  had  a  mind  to  make  himself  sport,  and  he  would  laugh  at 
it,  when  he  had  done,  until  his  sides  shook. 

'"I  saw  him  once  brought  to  court  for  such  a  disturb 
ance,  committed  on  the  Sabbath.  He  had  contrived  the 
matter  so  as  to  be  just  without  the  door,  when  he  was  called 
to  answer ;  upon  which  he  rushed  into  court  with  a  pro 
digious  noise  ;  his  features  and  gestures  expressed  more  fury 
than  I  ever  saw  in  a  distracted  person  of  any  sort,  and  I  so 
berly  think,  that  if  a  legion  of  devils  had  pushed  him  in 


182  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


NEW    LONDON. 


headlong,  his  entrance  had  not  been  more  horrid  and  ghastly, 
nor  have  seemed  more  preternatural. 

"  '  When  he  came  to  the  bar,  he  demanded  of  the  court 
what  their  business  was  with  him  ?  The  indictment  was  or 
dered  to  be  read.  To  this  he  pleaded  not  guilty,  after  a  new 
mode  :  for  as  the  clerk  read,  sometimes  at  the  end  of  a  sen 
tence,  and  sometimes  at  the  beginning,  he  would  cry  out, 
That's  a  cursed  lie;  and  anon,  I'/idt's  a  devilish  lie;  till  at 
length  a  number  of  his  followers,  of  both  sexes,  tuned  their 
pipes,  and  screamed,  roared,  shouted,  and  stamped  to  that 
decree  of  noise,  that  it  was  impossible,  to  hear  the  clerk 
read.' 

"  He  professed  to  be  a  most  holy  man,  guided  in  all  his 
conversation  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  so  that,  for  the  course  of 
twenty  years,  he  had  lived  without  the  commission  of  one 
sin.  Yet  he  was  almost  constantly  committing  such  gross 
offences.  He  was  divorced  from  an  amiable  wife  for  forni 
cation  and  supposed  beastiality.  The  latter  he  often  con 
fessed  out  of  court.  "When  he  had  occasion,  he  took  to  his 
bed  a  maid,  whom  he  had  purchased,  and  after  she  had  borne 
him  two  children,  he  put  her  away.  He  suffered  a  long  im 
prisonment,  upon  a  strong  suspicion  that  he  was  an  accom 
plice  in  burning  the  meeting  house  at  New  London.  He 
once  sat  upon  the  gallows,  upon  a  conviction  of  blasphemy. 
For  these  and  the  like  instances,  he  and  his  followers  suffer 
ed  the  penalties  of  the  law  ;  but  for  his  religion,  neither  he 
nor  his  followers  suffered  any  thing,  any  further  than  it  led 
them  to  such  misdemeanors  as  are  punishable  by  the  Jaws 
of  all  Christian  nations."* 

"  Many  anecdotes  are  related  concerning  this  singular 
people,  one  of  which  is  the  following.  Among  other  viola 
tions  of  law  and  order  by  the  Rogerenes,  they  took  to  them 
selves  wives,  without  complying  with  the  requirements  of  law 
and  decency.  One  day,  as  Governor  Saltonstall  was  sitting 
in  his  room  smoking  his  pipe,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Gurdon, 
with  a  woman,  came  in,  and  addressing  the  Governor  said, 
'  Sir,  I  have  married  this  woman,  and  that  too  without  the 
authority  of  your  magistrates  and  ministers.'  The  Governor 
turned  round,  took  the  pipe  out  of  his  mouth,  and  in  a  stern 
voice  said,  'Gurdon,  have  you  taken  this  woman  for  your 

*  Trumbull. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  183 


NEW    LONDON. 


wife?'  Gurdon  replied,  'Yes,  I  have.'  The  Governor 
turned  to  the  woman,  and  inquired,  '  Madam,  have  you  taken 
this  man  for  your  husband  ?  '  She  replied,  '  Indeed,  sir,  I 
have.'  'Well,  then,'  said  the  Governor,  '  by  authority  of, 
and  according  to  the  laws  of  Connecticut,  I  pronounce  you 
lawfully  wedded,  husband  and  wife.'  Gurdon  was  aston 
ished,  and,  after  a  pause,  replied,  '  Thou  art  a  cunning 
creature' 

"  It  is  said  to  be  contrary  to  the  tenets  of  the  Rogerenes 
to  employ  physicians,  or  to  use  medicines  in  case  of  sick 
ness.  The  following  method  of  preserving  a  clear  conscience 
in  this  respect,  is  related  upon  good  authority.  A  number 
of  these  people  were  afflicted  by  a  certain  cutaneous  disor 
der,  and  their  principles  forbidding  them  the  use  of  medi 
cines,  they  were  at  a  loss  what  to  do.  After  deliberating 
upon  the  subject,  they  came  to  the  conclusion  that  this 
disorder,  (or  whatever  else  it  might  be  called,)  could  not 
come  under  the  head  of  bodily  infirmity.  It  was  determined 
that  the  itch  might  be  considered  as  a  noxious  animal, 
which  they  might  innocently  destroy.  They  accordingly 
made  use  of  the  usual  remedies  found  efficacious  for  this 
disorder." 

"  A  considerable  number  of  the  descendants  of  the  Rog 
erenes  still  reside  in  Groton,  New  London,  and  its  vicinity. 
Many  years  since,  a  person  by  the  name  of  Watrous,  one  of 
this  sect,  wrote  and  published  a  book  called  '  The  Rattle 
Axe.'  Such  was  the  nature  of  this  publication,  that  he  could 
find  no  printer  who  was  willing  to  print  it.  Determined, 
however,  that  his  book  should  be  published,  Watrous  pro 
cured  a  printing  press  and  types,  and  printed  the  work  him 
self.  This  book  is  said  to  be  a  curiosity,  from  the  nature  of 
the  work,  and  from  the  typographical  execution.  So  little 
f;iith  have  this  people  in  other  denominations  of  Christians 
around  them,  that  quite  recently  they  would  not  suffer 
any  of  their  people  to  assist  as  carpenters  or  otherwise,  in 
the  construction  of  a  new  church,  lately  erected  in  New 
London."* 

*  Connecticut  Historical  Collections. 


RHODE    ISL  AN  D. 


PROVIDENCE. 

THIS  is  the  second  city  in  New  England  in  point  of  popu 
lation,  wealth,  and  business.  It  stands  on  Providence  river, 
at  the  head  of  Narragansett  Bay,  35  miles  from  the  ocean ; 
42  south-west  from  Boston  ;  199  north-east  of  New  York  ; 
and  394  north-east  from  Washington.  The  town  is  built  on 
both  sides  of  the  river,  the  two  parts  being  connected  by  two 
handsome  bridges.  The  new  town,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  has  all  the  bustle  and  liveliness,  and  displays  the  flour 
ishing  appearance  of  a  commercial  city.  The  hill  on  the 
opposite  side,  or  East  Providence,  is  chiefly  occupied  by 
private  mansions  beautifully  situated,  and  adorned  with  gar 
dens  and  court  yards. 

Providence  is  well  laid  out,  and  viewed  from  several  emi 
nences  within  the  city,  or  from  the  bay,  its  appearance  is  fine 
and  imposing.  The  calamities,  which  it  has  several  times 
suffered  by  storms,  floods,  and  particularly  an  extensive  fire 
in  1801,  and  the  great  storm  of  1H15,  when  500  buildings 
were  destroyed,  have  ultimately  tended  to  the  improvement 
of  the  city,  in  its  streets  and  buildings.  These  are  mostly 
of  wood,  and  are  uniformly  neat ;  there  are  many,  however, 
of  brick,  granite,  &c.,  which  are  spacious  and  elegant,  and 
finely  situated.  Population  in  1&5Q  49,192, 

The  public  buildings  are  numerous,  and  several  of  them 
very  handsome.  The  college  edifices  belonging  to  Brown 
University  occupy  the  summit  of  a  hill,  which  overlooks 
every  part  of  the  town,  the  cove,  and  the  country  beyond  it, 
the  river  with  the  regions  on  both  sides  ;  together  with  ex 
tensive  tracts  to  the  north  arid  east.  The  prospect  is  a  noble 
one  ;  but  is  sensibly  impaired  by  the  sterility  of  the  soil  in 
the  western  quarter,  and  is  not  a  little  deficient  in' fine  varie 
ties  of  surface.  This  Institution  was  established  in  1764, 
and  was  originally  stationed  at  Warren,  where  the  first  com 
mencement  was  held  in  1709.  The  next  year  it  was  held  in 
184 


FIRST  BAPTIST  CHURCH,  Pro^ide.ue. 


186  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


PROVIDENCE. 


Providence.  It  has  now  the  name  of  Brown  University, 
given  it  in  honor  of  Nicholas  Brown,  Esq.  who  has  been  its 
most  liberal  benefactor.  Under  its  distinguished  President 
and  able  faculty,  it  enjoys  a  high  reputation  among  the  lit 
erary  institutions  of  New  England.  The  corporation  is  com 
posed  of  two  boards  :  one  of  Fellows  ;  the  other  of  Trustees. 
The  former  consists  of  twelve,  including  the  President;  of 
whom  eight  are  required  by  the  charter  to  be  Baptists. 
The  latter  consists  of  thirty-six  ;  of  whom  twenty-two  must 
be  Baptists;  five  Quakers;  five  Episcopalians;  and  four 
Congregationalists.  The  philosophical  and  chemical  appara 
tus  is  extensive.  The  several  libraries,  including  that  of  the 
college,  contain  from  15,000.  to  20T000  volumes,  embracing 
numerous  rare  and  valuable  publications. 

The  Arcade,  extending  from  Westminster  street  to  Wey- 
bosset,  is  the  handsomest  building  of  the  kind  in  the  country. 
It  is  220  feet  long,  and  three  stories  high,  with  twenty-eight 
rooms  on  each  floor.  It  has  a  front  on  each  street  consist 
ing  of  an  Ionic  portico  72  feet  wide,  and  colonnades  of  six 
columns  each  25  feet  high,  the  shafts  of  which  are  single 
blocks  22  feet  in  length.  This  building  was  completed  in 
1^28,  at  a  cost  of  $130,000. 

There  are  fourteen  churches  in  the  city,  some  of  which 
are  handsome  specimens  of  architecture  ;  particularly  two 
Congregational  churches,  a  Baptist,  and  an  Episcopal  church. 

Providence  is  well  situated  for  commercial  enterprise. 
The  river,  which  divides  the  town  nearly  in  the  centre,  is 
navigable  for  vessels  of  900  tons  burden.  The  foreign  and 
coasting  trade  are  both  extensive,  as  the  commerce  of  the 
State,  which  was  formerly  concentrated  at  Newport,  is  now 
chiefly  transferred  to  this  place.  Several  lines  of  packets, 
besides  other  vessels,  run  regularly  to  different  parts  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  facilities  for  internal  communication 
are  numerous. 

A  canal,  extending  from  Providence  to  Worcester,  called 
the  Blackstone  canal,  was  opened  some  years  since,  from 
which  important  advantages  were  expected;  but  it  has  disap 
pointed  the  expectations  of  its  projectors,  and  has  in  a  great 
measure  been  superseded  by  a  railroad  between  these  places. 
A  railroad  also  connects  Providence  with  Stonington,  which 
has  a  line  of  steamboats  to  New  York. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  187 


PROVIDKNCE. 


An  important  Rail  Road  was  opened  between  this  city 
and  Boston  in  1835.  Its  distance  is  41  miles.  The  track 
is  a  single  one.  The  amount  of  capital  that  had  been  paid 
hi  in  November,  1836,  was  $1,250,000,  and  on  this  sum  at 
that  time  a  dividend  of  four  per  cent.  Two  trains  of  cars 
for  passengers  pass  through  each  way  daily,  Sundays  ex- 
cepted  ;  and  another  train,  called  the  steamboat  train,  which 
is  connected  with  the  New  York  and  Providence  steamboat 
line,  conveys  passengers  to  and  from  Providence  every  day, 
on  which  the  steamboat  arrives  at  and  departs  from  Provi 
dence.  The  time  usually  occupied  in  passing  the  whole 
distance  between  Boston  and  Providence,  is  about  two  hours 
and  fifteen  minutes. 

The  citizens  of  Providence  are  distinguished  in  general 
for  their  intelligence,  enterprise,  liberality,  and  courteous 
manners.  They  have  exhibited  no  small  pride  in  rendering 
their  city  pleasant  and  beautiful.  An  honorable  testimony 
is  borne  to  the  morals  of  Providence  by  the  late  President 
Dvvight.  He  remarks:  "The  morals  of  Providence  are 
probably  superior  to  those  of  any  other  town  in  this  State. 
The  usual  order  of  things,  with  respect  to  morality,  seems 
here  to  be  inverted.  In  most  other  States  the  country  is 
more  virtuous  than  the  city.  Here,  a  general,  and  honor 
able,  regard  to  morality,  and  a  general  performance  of  its 
duties,  such  as  is  found  in  other  respectable  towns  of  this 
country,  appears  to  prevail.  Many  years  have  not  elapsed 
since  the  market,  the  street,  and  the  wharfs,  were  little  less 
frequented  on  the  Sabbath,  than  on  other  days.  You  will 
remember,  that  the  Sabbath  in  this  State  is  neither  regarded 
by  the  laws,  nor  sanctioned  by  any  general  religious  ob 
servance.  We  saw  a  few  carts  entering  the  town ;  but 
were  informed,  that  the  number  had  yearly  decreased  for  a 
considerable  time,  and  that  the  inhabitants  were  strongly,  as 
well  as  generally,  opposed  to  this  indecent  intrusion." 

The  founder  of  Providence  was  Roger  Williams,  a  man 
who  figured  in  the  early  history  of  the  colony  of  Massachu 
setts,  and  about  whose  religious  tenets  and  conduct  the  most 
contradictory  statements  have  been  made.  Injustice  has 
doubtless  been  done  him  ;  yet,  it  is  not  improbable  from  his 
excitable  and  ardent  feelings — from  his  well  known  courage 
and  firmness,  that  he  might  have  in  his  language  and  con- 


188  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


PROY1DKVCK. 


duct  given  occasion  to  his  contemporaries  to  feel  towards 
him  some  unkindiicss;  yet  no  apology  can  be  offered  for 
their  great  severity  towards  him.  His  intimate  relation  to 
the  city  about  which  \ve  are  writing,  will  justify  a  brief  no 
tice  of  the  principal  events  of  his  life,  which  we  gather  from 
a  late  Memoir  of  his  life  by  Professor  Knowles. 

The  early  history  of  Mr.  Williams  is  traditionary.  It  is 
said  that  even  the  records  of  the  Church,  which  he  founded 
at  Providence,  contain  no  notice  of  him  earlier  than  1075. 

He  was  born  in  Wales,  probably  in  1599.  The  place  of 
his  birth  and  the  character  of  his  parents  are  not  known. 
From  a  remark  in  one  of  his  books,  it  appears  probable  that 
he  became  pious  in  early  life.  "  That  his  parents  were  in 
humble  life,  and  that  his  disposition  was  pious  and  thought 
ful,  may  be  inferred,"  says  his  biographer,  *'  from  an  inci 
dent,  which  is  related  concerning  him,  and  which,  if  true, 
had  a  great  share  in  determining  his  future  course.  It  is 
said,  that  the  famous  lawyer,  Sir  Edward  Coke,  observed 
him  one  day,  during  public  worship,  taking  notes  of  the  dis 
course.  His  curiosity  was  excited,  and  he  requested  the 
boy  to  show  him  his  notes.  Sir  Edward  was  so  favorably 
impressed  by  the  evidences  of  talent,  which  these  exhibited, 
that  he  requested  the  parents  of  young  Williams  to  intrust 
their  son  to  his  care.  He  placed  him,  as  the  tradition  runs, 
at  the  University  of  Oxford,  where  he  drank  deeply  at  the 
fountains  of  learning.  His  writings  testify  that  his  educa 
tion  was  liberal,  according  to  the  taste  of  those  times,  when 
logic  and  the  classics  formed  the  chief  objects  of  study  at 
the  Universities." 

After  leaving  Oxford,  he  commenced  the  study  of  law;  but 
finding  theology  more  agreeable  to  his  taste,  he  directed  his 
attention  to  that ;  and,  at  length,  received  Episcopal  orders. 
For  a  time,  he  had  charge  of  a  parish  in  England. 

For  the  same  reasons,  which  impelled  so  many  of  the 
English  clergy  to  abandon  their  native  land,  for  the  wilds 
of  America,  Roger  Williams,  no  doubt,  emigrated  to  the 
same  place  of  refuge.  The  time  of  his  emigration  was  De 
cember  1st,  1630,  at  which  time  he  embarked  at  Bristol,  in 
the  ship  Lyon,  Capt.  William  Pierce.  His  wife  accompa 
nied  him.  Governor  Winthrop  thus  records  the  arrival  of 
this  vessel. 

"  Feb.  5.     The  ship   Lyon,  Mr.  William  Pierce,  master 
arrived  at  Naritasket.     She  brought  Mr.  Williams,  a  godly 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  189 


PROVIDENCE. 


minister,  with  his  wife,  Mr.  Throgmorton,  Perkins,  and  oth 
ers,  with  their  wives  and  children,  about  twenty  passengers, 
and  about  two  hundred  tons  of  goods.  She  set  sail  from 
Bristol,  December  1st.  She  had  a  very  tempestuous  pas 
sage,  yet  through  God's  mercy,  all  her  people  came  safe, 
except  Way,  his  son,  who  fell  from  the  spritsail  yard  in  a 
tempest,  and  could  not  be  recovered,  though  he  kept  in 
sight  near  a  quarter  of  an  hour;  her  goods  also  came  all  in 
good  condition." 

Shortly  after  Mr.  Williams's  arrival  he  was  invited  by  the 
Church  in  Salem  to  become  an  assistant  to  Mr.  Sheldon,  as 
teacher  in  the  place  of  the  accomplished  Higginson,  who 
had  died  a  few  months  before.  This  invitation  he  accepted, 
and  commenced  his  ministry  in  that  town.  The  civil  author 
ity,  however,  interfered  on  the  ground  that  Mr.  Williams  had 
refused  to  join  with  the  congregation  at  Boston,  because 
they  would  not  make  a  public  declaration  of  their  repent 
ance,  for  having  held  communion  with  the  Churches  of  Eng 
land,  while  they  lived  there;  arid  besides,  had  declared  his 
opinion,  that  the  magistrate  might  not  punish  a  breach  of 
the  Sabbath,  nor  any  other  offence,  as  it  was  a  breach  of  the 
first  table  ;  therefore  they  marvelled  they  would  choose  him 
without  advising  with  the  Council;  and  withal  desiring  that 
they  would  forbear  to  proceed  till  they  had  conferred  about  it. 

We  are  not  told  precisely  in  what  terms,  and  to  what  ex 
tent  he  wished  the  members  of  the  Boston  Church  to  express 
their  repentance  by  their  conduct.  In  this  requirement,  he 
probably  forgot  his  own  principles  of  liberty  of  conscience  ; 
but  in  regard  to  the  other  charge,  that  the  civil  magistrate 
has  no  right  to  control  the  consciences  of  men,  he  was  right 
in  point  of  principle,  although  perhaps  too  strong  in  express 
ion.  Notwithstanding  the  interference  of  the  court,  the 
Church  at  Salem  considered  it  her  right  to  select  her  own 
pastor:  and  accordingly,  Mr.  Williams  entered  upon  the  du 
ties  of  a  minister  among  them.  His  situation,  however,  was 
rendered  unpleasant  by  the  persecution  of  enemies,  in  con 
sequence  of  which  he  was  obliged  to  retire  to  Plymouth. 
Here  he  became  an  assistant  to  Mr.  Ralph  Smith,  the  pastor 
of  the  Church  there.  After  a  residence  at  Plymouth  of  two 
years,  he  returned  to  Salem,  and  resumed  his  labors,  as  an 
assistant  to  Mr.  Sheldon  ;  on  the  death  of  this  gentleman, 
which  occurred  in  1634,  Mr.  Williams  was  invited  to  be 
come  the  teacher  of  the  Church.  The  magistrates  sent  a 


190  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


PROVIDKJJCE. 


request  that  they  would  not  ordain  him ;  but  the  Church 
persisted,  and  Mr.  Williams  was  regularly  introduced  to  the 
office  of  teacher. 

In  1635,  Mr.  Williams  was  summoned  to  appear  before 
the  general  court  to  answer  to  the  following  "  dangerous 
opinions"  said  to  be  held  by  him,  viz  :  1.  That  the  magis 
trate  ought  not  to  punish  the  breach  of  the  first  table,  other 
wise  than  in  such  cases  as  did  disturb  the  civil  peace.  2. 
That  he  ought  not  to  tender  an  oath  to  an  unregenerate  man. 
3.  That  a  man  ought  not  to  pray  with  such,  though  wife, 
child,  &/c.  4.  That  a  man  ought  not  to  give  thanks  after 
sacrament,  nor  after  meat,"  &,c. 

In  respect  to  the  first  of  these  charges,  Mr.  Williams  never 
held  it  to  be  wrong  for  the  civil  magistrate  to  punish  breaches 
of  the  first  table,  when  they  disturbed  the  civil  peace,  but 
only  that  they  had  no  right  to  force  the  consciences  of  men. 
In  respect  to  the  second  charge,  we  are  not  informed  of  the 
precise  views  of  Mr.  Williams  respecting  oaths.  It  seems 
probable,  however,  that  he  considered  an  oath  to  be  an  act 
so  entirely  religious,  as  to  feel  that  an  irreligious  man  could 
not  sincerely  take  one.  In  this  he  was  probably  biased  by 
a  wrong  judgment,  as  he  was  also  in  denying  the  propriety 
of  uniting  in  religious  worship  with  the  unregenerate.  The 
fourth  charge  was  unworthy  the  framers  of  it. 

We  cannot  enter  into  this  subject  with  more  particularity. 
Mr.  Williams  doubtless  held  opinions,  which  were  at  vari 
ance  with  the  received  opinions  of  the  day,  and  in  respect  to 
some  of  which  he  appears  not  to  have  exercised  a  sound 
judgment ;  yet  he  was  far  from  meriting  the  severe  censures 
which  were  passed  upon  him.  Some  of  those  censures  his 
judges  deserved  themselves  ;  for  in  some  points  in  which 
they  condemned  Mr.  Williams,  they  deserved  condemnation 
themselves. 

In  October,  1G3.>,  Mr.  Williams  was  called  before  the 
court  for  the  last  time.  Mr.  Hooker  was  chosen  to  dispute 
with  him,  but  not  being  able  to  reduce  him  from  any  of  his 
errors,  the  court  sentenced  him  to  depart  out  of  their  juris 
diction,  within  six  weeks,  all  the  ministers,  save  one,  ap 
proving  the  sentence. 

Mr.  Williams  received  permission  to  remain  at  Salem  till 
spring  ;  but  because  he  would  not  agree  not  to  refrain  in  his 
own  house,  from  uttering  his  opinions,  the  Court  ordered  to 


192  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


PROVIDENCE. 


send  him  to  England.  Accordingly  a  warrant  was  sent  to  him 
to  repair  to  Boston,  to  go  on  board  a  ship,  there  ready  to  sail. 
But  he  replied,  that  he  could  not  come  without  hazard  to  his 
life.  Whereupon  a  pinnace  was  despatched  to  apprehend 
him,  and  take  him  on  board  the  ship  in  Nantasket  Bay  ;  but 
when  the  commissioner  sent  for  this  purpose  came  to  his 
house,  he  found  Mr.  Williams  had  gone  to  some  unknown 
place,  three  days  before.  It  appears  thatGov.  Winthrop  had 
privately  advised  him  to  leave,  as  a  measure  which  the  pub 
lic  peace  required. 

The  departure  of  Mr.  Williams  was  about  the  middle  of 
January,  1035-G.  It  is  not  certain  that  any  one  accompa 
nied  him,  though  a  number  of  persons  joined  him  soon  after. 
He  proceeded  south  towards  Narragansett  Bay.  The 
weather  was  severe,  and  his  sufferings  were  great. 

It  appears  that  he  visited  Ousamcquin,  sachem  of  Pokano- 
ket,  who  resided  at  Mount  Hope,  near  the  present  town  of 
Bristol,  R.  I.  From  him  he  obtained  a  grant  of  land,  now 
included  in  the  town  of  Seekouk,  in  Massachusetts.  This 
territory  was  within  the  limits  of  the  Plymouth  colony.  Not 
withstanding  this,  with  the  assistance  of  friends,  he  erected 
a  habitation,  and  here  probably  hoped  to  live  in  peace.  In 
a  short  time,  however,  he  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Wins- 
low,  governor  of  Plymouth,  kindly  apprising  him  of  his  en 
croachment  on  the  territory  of  Plymouth,  and  advising  him 
to  remove. 

He  immediately  resolved  to  comply  with  the  advice.  He 
accordingly  embarked  in  a  canoe  with  five  others,  and  pro 
ceeded  down  the  stream.  As  they  approached  the  little  cove, 
near  Tockwotten,  now  India  Point,  they  were  saluted  by  a 
company  of  Indians,  with  the  friendly  interrogation,  "  What 
cheer,"  a  common  English  phrase,  which  they  had  learned 
from  the  colonists.  At  this  spot,  they  probably  went  on 
shore,  but  they  did  not  lon<;  remain  there.  They  passed 
around  India  Point  and  Fox  Point,  and  proceeded  up  the 
river  on  the  west  side  of  the  peninsula,  to  a  spot  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Moshassuck  river.  Tradition  reports,  that  Mr. 
Williams  landed  near  a  spring,  which  remains  till  this  day. 
At  this  spot,  the  settlement  of  Rhode  Island  commenced  : 

"  O  call  it  holy  ground, 

The  soil  where  first  they  trod. 
Thoy  have  left  unstained,  what  there  they  found, 
FREEDOM  TO  WORSHIP  GOD." 


IS 


194  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


HROVIDKNCK. 


To  the  town  here  founded,  Mr.  Williams,  with  his  habit 
ual  piety,  and  in  grateful  remembrance  of  God's  merciful 
Providence  to  him  in  his  distress,  gave  the  name  of  PROVI 
DENCE. 

His  removal   from   Seekonk   is  fixed  by   his 
about  the  middle  of  June,  1636.      The   exact   dav  is  un 
known. 

The  spot  where  Mr.  Williams  and  his  companions  landed 
was  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Narragansett  Indians. 
The  Sachems  of  this  tribe  were  Canonicus,  and  his  nephev/ 
Miantonimoh.  The  former  was  an  old  man,  and  he  prob  i- 
bly  associated  with  him  his  young  nephew,  as  better  fitted  to 
sustain  the  toils  and  cares  of  royalty.  Their  residence  is 
said  by  Gookin  to  have  been  about  Narragansett  Bay,  riiid 
on  the  island  of  Canonicut. 

The  first  object  of  Mr.  Williams  would  naturally  bo,  to 
obtain  from  the  sachems  a  grant  of  land  for  his  new  colony. 
He  visited  them,  and  received  a  verbal  cession  of  the  terri 
tory,  which,  two  years  afterwards,  was  formally  conveyed  to 
him  by  deed.* 

The  lands  thus  ceded  to  Mr.  Williams,  he  conveyed  to 
twelve  men,  who  accompanied,  or  soon  joined  him,  reserving 
for  himself  an  equal  part  only.  From  these  he  exacted  no 
remuneration. 

Mrs.  Williams  and  her  two  children  are  supposed  to  have 
come  from  Salem  to  Providence  in  the  summer  of  1636,  in 
company  with  several  persons,  who  wished  to  join  their  ex 
iled  pastor. 

The  family  of  Mr.  Williams  was  now  dependent  on  his  ex- 

*  It  reflects  great  credit  on  Canonicus,  thiit  he  received  Mr.  Williams 
with  so  much  cordiality,  and  treated  him,  as  Mr.  Thatcher  remarks,  with 
a  hospitality  worthy  of  an  emperor.  "  At  first,  indeed,  the  savage  chief 
tain  was  suspicious  of  his  visiter's  motives ;  and  he  was  none  the  more 
prepossessed  in  his  favor,  from  his  subjects  having  recently  suffered  ex 
cessively  from  a  formidable  epidemic,  which  he  supposed  to  have  been 
introduced  by  the  English."  Mr.  Williams  has  himself  given  an  account 
of  his  interview  with  the  chief.  fi  At  my  first  coming  among  them, 
Caunounicus  (morosus  ccque  ac  barbarus  sencx)  was  very  sour,  and  ac 
cused  the  English  and  myself  of  sending  the  plague  amon<r  them,  and 
threatening  to  kill  him  especially."  Soon  after,  however,  lie  not  only 
permitted  the  refugee  and  the  poor  wanderers,  who  had  followed  him 
from  Salem,  to  have  a  resting  place  in  his  domain,  but  gave  them  all 
"  the  neck  of  land  lying  between  the  mouths  of  the  Pawtucket  and 
Moshassuck  rivers,  that  they  might  sit  down  in  peace  upon  it  forever." 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  195 


PROVIDENCE. 


ertion  for  support.  No  supplies  could  be  derived  from  Mas 
sachusetts.  The  natives  were  unable  to  afford  much  aid.  It 
is  probable  that  Mr.  Williams  had  nearly  expended  all  his 
funds,  in  the  support  of  his  family  during  his  absence,  and 
in  the  negotiations  with  the  Indians.  Of  his  poverty,  there  is 
evidence,  in  a  touching  incident,  mentioned  in  his  letter  to 
Major  Mason.  It  is  alike  honorable  to  all  the  parties  :  "  It 
pleased  the  Father  of  Spirits  to  touch  many  hearts,  dear  to 
him,  with  many  relenting! ;  amongst  which,  that  great  and 
pious  soul,  Mr.  Winslow,  melted,  and  kindly  visited  me  at 
Providence,  and  put  a  piece  of  gold  into  the  hands  of  my 
wife,  for  our  supply." 

In  a  deed,  which  was  enrolled  January  29,  1667,  Mr. 
Williams  says,  that  he  planted,  with  his  own  hands,  at  his 
first  coming,  the  two  Indian  fields,  Whatchcer  and  Saxifrax 
Hill,  which  he. had  purchased  of  the  natives.  Thus  was  he 
forced,  as  at  many  other  times,  to  resort  to  manual  labor  for 
his  subsistence.  In  his  reply  to  Mr.  Cotton,  he  says  :  "  It 
is  not  unknown  to  many  witnesses,  in  Plymouth,  Salem,  and 
Providence,  that  the  discusser's  time  hath  not  been  spent 
(though  as  much  as  any  others  whosoever)  altogether  in 
spiritual  labors  and  public  exercises  of  the  word  ;  but  day 
and  night,  at  home  and  abroad,  on  the  land  and  the  water,  at 
the  hoe,  at  the  oar — for  bread."  But  he  sustained  all  his 
labors  and  hardships  with  a  patient  spirit  and  with  a  steadfast 
adherence  to  his  principles. 

His  house  was,  undoubtedly,  erected  near  the  spot  where 
he  landed,  and  a  few  rods  eastward  of  the  celebrated  spring. 
Here  the  wanderer  found  a  resting  place.  This  was  his 
home  for  more  than  forty  years.  Here  he  died,  and  near  the 
site  of  his  dwelling  his  ashes  were  deposited. 

It  would  be  an  interesting  effort  of  the  imagination,  to 
contrast  the  situation  of  Providence,  at  the  time  of  the  set 
tlement,  with  the  present  condition  of  that  beautiful  and 
flourishing  town.  Where  now  are  busy  streets,  and  ample 
warehouses,  and  elegant  mansions,  and  a  population  of  near 
ly  50,000  souls,  were,  at  that  time,  dense  forests,  and  a  few 
scattered  Indian  families.  How  astonishing  is  the  change  ! 
Roger  Williams  himself,  with  all  his  vigor  of  imagination, 
and  his  ardent  temperament,  could  not  have  anticipated  the 
expansion  of  his  little  settlement  to  its  present  amplitude, 
beauty,  and  strength.  The  glorious  vision  could  not  have 


196  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


PROVIDENCE. 


visited  his  mind  ;  but  he  acted  under  the  power  of  that  pro 
phetic  faith,  which  assured  him  of  success,  in  his  efforts  for 
the  welfare  of  men.  He  looked  beyond  the  present,  to  the 
bright  future,  and  was  confident  that  his  principles,  though 
then  misunderstood  and  rejected,  would  ultimately  triumph. 

In  1643,  Mr.  Williams  was  intrusted  with  an  important 
agency.  The  settlement  at  Providence  and  on  Rhode  Island 
had  continued  to  increase  for  several  years.  They  had 
hitherto  been  distinct,  but  their  principles  and  interests  were 
so  similar,  that  an  alliance  as  one  colony  became  manifestly 
expedient.  The  necessity  of  a  charter  from  the  government 
of  England,  was  apparent,  to  protect  them  from  the  en 
croachments  of  the  other  colonies,  and  to  give  a  sanction  and 
authority  to  their  government.  A  committee  was  appointed 
at  an  Assembly  in  Newport,  September  19,  1642,  with  in 
structions  to  procure  a  charter.  This  committee  intrusted 
the  agency  to  Mr.  Williams,  who,  on  behalf  of  that  colony 
and  his  own,  agreed  to  visit  England,  on  this  important 
errand. 

He  accordingly  left  his  family,  and  proceeded  to  Manhat 
tan,  (New  York,)  to  embark  for  England.  It  would  have 
been  more  convenient  and  agreeable  to  sail  from  Boston,  but 
Mr.  Williams  was  not  permitted  to  enter  the  territories  of 
Massachusetts,  notwithstanding  the  good  service  which  he 
had  performed  for  them  in  their  hour  of  need. 

In  1644,  he  returned  to  America,  having  accomplished 
the  object  of  his  mission.  His  return  to  Providence  was 
greeted  by  a  voluntary  expression  of  the  attachment  and 
gratitude  of  its  inhabitants,  which  is  one  of  the  most  satis 
factory  testimonies  to  his  character.  They  met  him  at 
Seekonk,  with  fourteen  canoes,  and  carried  him  across  the 
river  to  Providence.  This  simple  act  of  respect  must  have 
been  highly  grateful  to  his  feelings.  It  does  equal  honor  to 
him,  and  to  his  fellow  citizens,  who  thus  showed  themselves 
capable  of  estimating,  in  a  manner  worthy  of  freemen,  the 
services  of  a  friend  and  public  benefactor. 

We  tnay  suppose  that  Mr.  Williams,  after  his  return,  im 
mediately  endeavored  to  carry  into  operation  the  charter, 
which  he  had  procured  with  so  much  labor  and  expense 
But  it  was  a  work  which  required  time,  to  bring  the  inhabit 
ants  of  the  several  settlements  at  Providence,  Newport, 
Portsmouth,  and  Warwick,  to  agree  on  a  form  of  govern- 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  197 


PROVIDENCE. 


ment,  and  unite  as  one  colony.  The  charter  prescribed  no 
form  of  civil  polity,  and  it  was  accordingly  necessary  to 
manage  the  negotiations  between  the  towns  with  much  deli 
cacy  and  skill. 

Our  limits  forbid  us  to  notice  the  incidents  of  Mr.  Wil- 
liams's  life  from  the  above  date  to  the  year  1676,  excepting 
to  mention  that  in  1654,  he  was  chosen  president  of  the  col 
ony,  which  office  he  held  till  1657. 

1676  was  memorable  in  New  England  for  king  Philip's 
war,  so  called.  It  spread  over  the  whole  of  this  territory, 
and  threatened  for  a  while  the  destruction  of  the  colonies. 

Many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Providence  and  of  other 
towns,  removed  to  Newport  fnr  safety  ;  but  a  considerable 
number  remained,  among  whom  was  Mr.  Williams,  though  it 
seems  his  wife  and  family  removed  to  the  Island. 

Mr.  Williams  was  very  active,  notwithstanding  his  age. 
He  accepted  a  military  commission,  and  the  title  "  Captain 
Roger  Williams"  appears  on  the  records.  It  certainly  dis 
played  spirit  and  patriotism  in  a  man  of  seventy-seven  years, 
to  buckle  on  his  armor  for  the  defence  of  his  home  and  his 
fellow  citizens.  He  sent  the  following  proposition  to  the 
town  :  "  I  pray  the  town,  in  the  sense  of  the  late  bloody 
practices  of  the  natives,  to  give  leave  to  so  many  as  can 
agree  with  William  Field,  to  bestow  some  charge  upon  for 
tifying  his  house,  for  security  to  women  arid  children.  Also 
to  give  me  leave,  arid  so  many  as  shall  agree,  to  put  up  some 
defence  on  the  hill,  between  the  mill  and  the  highway,  for 
the  like  safety  of  the  women  and  children  in  that  part  of  the 
town."  This  proposal  was  signed  by  eleven  persons,  who 
subscribed  various  sums,  to  defray  the  expense.  The  high 
est  subscription  was  two  pounds  six  shillings,  except  that  of 
Mr.  Williams,  which  was  ten  pounds,  though  we  may  pre 
sume  he  was  not  the  richest  man  among  them. 

A  garrison  was  established  at  Providence  by  the  General 
Assembly,  with  seven  men,  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Arthur  Fenner,  with  a  provision,  however,  that  it  should 
"  not  eclipse  Captain  Williams's  power  in  the  exercise  of  the 
trainbands  there." 

The  town  was  attacked  by  the  Indians,  on  the  29th  of 
March,  1676,  and  twenty-nine  houses  were  burnt,  among 
which  was  that  in  which  the  records  of  the  town  were  kept. 
These  were  thrown  into  the  mill  pond,  and  afterwards  re 
covered,  though  much  injured. 


198  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 

PROVIDENCE. 

It  is  said  that  when  the  Indians  approached  Providence, 
Mr.  Williams  took  his  staff,  and  went  out  to  meet  them  on 
the  heights  north  of  the  cove.  He  remonstrated  with  the 
sachems,  and  warned  them  of  the  power  and  vengeance  of 
the  English.  "  Massachusetts,"  said  he,  "  can  raise  thousands 
of  men  at  this  moment,  and  if  you  kill  them,  the  king  of 
England  will  supply  their  place  as  fast  as  they  fall."  "  Well," 
answered  one  of  the  chieftains,  "  let  them  come.  We  are 
ready  for  them.  But  as  for  you,  brother  Williams,  you  are 
a  good  man.  You  have  been  kind  to  us  many  years.  Not 
a  hair  of  your  head  shall  be  touched." 

Mr.  Williams  lived  to  his  84th  year,  but  of  the  immediate 
cause  of  his  death,  or  the  exact  time  of  this  event,  we  are 
not  informed. 

In  regard  to  his  family,  little  is  now  known.  His  wife  is 
supposed  to  have  survived  him,  but  when  and  where  she  died, 
we  do  not  know.  It  is  nearly  certain  that  he  left  no  will, 
and  had  but  little  property  to  bequeath.  He  had  six  children. 
Joseph,  the  last,  lived  for  several  years,  on  a  farm  in  Crans 
ton,  three  or  four  miles  from  Providence,  where  he  died, 
August  17th,  1724,  in  the  eighty-first  year  of  his  age,  and 
was  buried  in  the  family  burying  ground,  on  the  farm,  where 
his  grave-stone  now  stands,  with  this  inscription  : 

"  Here  lies  the  body  of  Joseph  Williams,  Esq.,  son  of 
Roger  Williams,  Esq.,  who  was  the  first  white  man  that  came 
to  Providence.  He  was  born  1644.  He  died  August  17th, 
1724,  in  the  eighty-first  year  of  his  age  : 

In  king  Philip's  war,  he  courageously  went  through, 
And  the  native  Indians  he  bravely  did  subdue, 
And  now  he's  gone  down  to  the  grave,  and  he  will  be  no  more, 
Until  it  please  Almighty  God  his  body  to  restore, 
Into  some  proper  shape,  as  he  think  fit  to  be, 
Perhaps  like  a  grain  of  wheat,  as  Paul  sets  forth  you  see. 
(Corinthians,  1st  book,  15th  chapter,  '37th  verse.)  " 

His  biographer,  Professor  Knowles,*  to  whom  the  author 
is  indebted  for  the  foregoing  facts,  gives  the  following  sum 
mary  of  Mr.  Williams's  character.  "  His  mental  faculties 
were  of  a  high  order.  His  mind  was  strong,  original,  and 

*  Memoir  of  Roger  Williams,  &c.  by  James  D.  Knowles. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  199 

PROVIDENCE. 

independent.  The  clearness  with  which  he  discerned  the 
true  principles  of  religious  liberty,  and  the  steadiness  with 
which  he  maintained  them,  in  opposition  to  the  general 
theory  and  practice  of  that  age,  show  a  superior  intellect. 
Few  men  are  far  in  advance  of  their  cotemporaries  ;  and  this 
is  a  wise  arrangement  of  Providence,  for  such  men  are  not 
so  immediately  useful,  as  many  others  of  inferior  powers. 
They  are  not  understood — they  offend  the  prejudices,  and 
wound  the  self-love  of  men.  Their  influence  is  of  the  nature 
of  prophecy.  They  plant  principles,  which  are  of  slow 
growth,  but  which  will  eventually  produce  rich  fruit.  Such 
individuals  must  be  content  to  live  for  posterity.  They  must 
be  steadfast  in  upholding  the  truth,  though  amid  ingratitude 
and  opposition,  cheered  by  the  bright  prospect  of  future 
triumph. 

"  Mr.  Williams  was  of  this  class  of  men,  and  his  station 
in  that  class  is  a  proof  of  the  elevation  and  vigor  of  his 
mind. 

"  It  is  an  evidence,  also,  of  superior  moral  qualities.  It 
requires  a  spirit  of  self-sacrifice,  a  pure  love  of  truth,  a 
benevolent  zeal  for  the  welfare  of  mankind,  an  elevation 
above  selfish  ends.  All  these  traits  of  character  Mr.  Williams 
possessed.  He  was  sincerely  pious.  Love  to  God  dwelt 
habitually  in  his  soul,  and  controlled  his  feelings  and  his  ac 
tions.  In  his  books  and  letters,  every  topic  takes  a  hue  from 
his  piety.  His  magnanimous  forgiveness  of  injuries,  his 
zeal  for  the  welfare  of  all  who  sought  his  aid,  his  untiring 
benevolence  towards  the  hapless  savages,  his  patriotic  and 
self-denying  toil  for  the  prosperity  of  his  colony,  all  show 
the  efficacy  and  fervor  of  those  religious  principles  which 
governed  him.  Mr.  Callender  said  of  him,  '  Mr.  Williams 
appears,  by  the  whole  course  and  tenor  of  his  life  and  con 
duct  here,  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  disinterested  men 
that  ever  lived,  a  most  pious  and  heavenly  minded  soul.'  Dr. 
Bentley  says,  '  In  Salem  every  body  loved  Mr.  Williams. 
He  had  no  personal  enemies,  under  any  pretence.  All 
valued  his  friendship.  Kind  treatment  could  win  him,  but 
opposition  could  not  conquer  him.  He  was  not  afraid  to 
stand  alone  for  truth  against  the  world,  and  he  had  address 
enough  with  his  firmness,  never  to  be  forsaken  by  the  friends 
he  had  ever  gained.  He  had  always  a  tenderness  of  con 
science,  and  feared  every  offence  against  moral  truth.  He 


200  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


PROVIDKNCK. 


breathed  the  purest  devotion.  He  was  a  friend  of  human 
nature,  forgiving,  upright,  and  pious.  He  understood  the 
Indians  better  than  any  man  of  his  age.  He  made  not  so 
many  converts,  but  he  made  more  sincere  friends.' 

"  His  religious  principles  were  those  of  Calvin.  His 
views  of  the  ordinances  of  the  Gospel  were,  undoubtedly, 
after  his  baptism,  those  now  held  by  the  Baptists.  But  he  did 
not  acknowledge  himself  as  belonging  to  any  denomination; 
because  he  believed,  that  there  are  now  neither  true  churches, 
nor  persons  authorized  to  administer  the  ordinances. 

"  His  political  principles  were  decidedly  in  favor  of  the 
rights  of  the  people.  He  not  only  displayed  them  in  the 
civil  constitution  of  his  colony,  but  he  repeatedly  stated  them 
in  his  books.  Such  passages  as  the  following  contain  his 
political  creed  : 

"  '  Kings  and  magistrates  must  be  considered  invested  with 
no  more  power  than  the  people  betrust  them  with.'  '  The 
sovereign  power  of  all  civil  authority  is  founded  in  the  con 
sent  of  the  people.' 

"  The  faults  of  Mr.  Williams  sprung,  in  part,  from  the 
imperfection  of  human  nature,  and  in  part  from  his  temper 
ament,  and  the  constitution  of  his  mind.  He  was  ardent, 
and  his  imagination  was  the  most  active  of  his  intellectual 
faculties.  He  sometimes  adopted  opinions,  rather  by  a  sud 
den  bound  of  the  imagination,  than  by  a  regular  process  of 
reasoning.  His  ardor,  and  his  conscientiousness  and  fearless 
love  of  truth,  impelled  him  to  act  on  his  opinions  with  a 
degree  of  energy  and  firmness  which  exposed  him  to  the 
charge  of  obstinacy.  Such  a  man  will  occasionally  fall  into 
error,  and  into  rapid  transitions,  which  give  to  his  conduct  the 
appearance  of  inconsistency.  This  was  the  case  with  Mr. 
Williams,  in  some  of  his  actions,  but  the  inconsistency  never 
affected  his  great  principles.  These  he  never  abandoned  for 
a  moment.  His  course  was  steadily  onward,  like  that  of  a 
planet,  though  disturbing  causes  occasionally  produced  slight 
eccentricities. 

"  In  his  domestic  relations,  he  seems  to  have  been  amiable 
and  happy.  His  expressions  of  attachment  to  his  family 
prove  the  strength  of  his  conjugal  and  paternal  affection. 
His  children  grew  up  to  maturity.  A  numerous  posterity 
have  arisen  to  bless  his  memory,  and  to  feel  pleasure  in  the 
contemplation  of  his  character  and  the  diffusion  of  his  fame. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  201 


PROVIDENCE. 


"  He  is  dead,  but  his  principles  survive,  and  are  destined 
to  spread  over  the  earth.  The  State  which  he  founded  is 
his  monument.  Her  sons,  when  asked  for  a  record  of  Roger 
Williams,  may  point  to  her  history,  unstained  by  a  single  act 
of  persecution  ;  to  her  prosperity,  her  perfect  freedom,  her 
tranquil  happiness  ;  and  may  reply,  in  the  spirit  of  the  epi 
taph  on  the  tomb  of  Sir  Christopher  Wren,  in  St.  Paul's 
Cathedral,  '  Look  around/ — 

'  Si  monumentum  quaeris.  circumspice.' " 


NEW    YORK. 


NEW  YORK. 

BEFORE  proceeding  to  a  description  of  New  York,  the 
present  commercial  capital  of  the  United  States,  we  have 
divers  historical  matters,  with  which  to  entertain  our  fellow 
travellers,  touching  the  discovery  of  the  place,  and  the  early 
settlement  of  the  city,  with  sketches  of  the  manners  and 
customs  of  the  primitive  settlers. 

"  The  first  European  feet  that  ever  trod  on  any  part  of 
the  territory,  now  included  within  the  State  of  New  York, 
were  probably,"  says  Dr.  Miller,*  "  Verrazzano,  and  his 
crew,  who  appear  to  have  visited  the  harbor  of  New  York, 
in  1524.  The  description  which  this  navigator  gives  of  a 
harbor  into  which  he  put — of  the  islands  which  he  saw  in 
it — of  the  river  which  he  ascended,  corresponds  with  the 
harbor  of  New  York,  the  islands  Staten  and  Manhattan, 
and  the  river,  afterwards  called  the  Hudson.  Dr.  Belknap 
says  the  harbor  which  Verrazzano  entered,  "  by  his  descrip 
tion,  must  be  that  of  Neio  York.''1  Others  have  considered 
the  whole  account  as  agreeing  with  the  harbor  of  Newport, 
in  Rhode  Island. t  The  weight  of  authority,  however,  lies 

*  Miller's  Historical  Discourse,  1809. 

t  That  noted  historian,  Diedrich  Knickerbocker,  has  decided  that  Ver 
razzano  never  made  the  above  discovery,  for  the  following  potent  rea 
sons  :  1st.  "  Because,  on  strict  examination,  it  will  be  found,"  says  he, 
"  that  the  description  given  by  him  applies  as  well  to  the  bay  of  New 
York  as  it  does  to  my  nightcap."  2d.  "  Because  he  was  a  Florentine, 
and  the  Florentines  hftving  niched  away  the  laurels  from  the  brows  of 
the  immortal  Columbus,  and  bestowed  them  on  their  officious  townsman, 
Amerigo  Vespuci,  they  may  be  suspected  of  an  attempt  to  rob  the  illus 
trious  Hudson  of  the  credit  of  his  discovery."  3d.  "  I  award. "says  he, 
"  my  decision  in  favor  of  the  pretensions  of  Hendrick  Hudson,  inas 
much  as  his  expedition  sailed  from  Holland — being  truly  and  absolutely 
a  Dutch  enterprise," — and  as  if  in  truth,  like  the  Squire  of  the  knight  of 
La  Mancha.  he  would  "  heap  proof  upon  the  shoulders  of  demonstra 
tion,"  he  adds — "  though  all  the  proofs  in  the  world  were  introduced  on 
the  other  side,  I  would  set  them  at  nought,  as  undeserving  my  atten 
tion."—"  Thus,  therefore"  he  concludes,  "  the  title  of  Hendrick  Hud 
son  to  his  renowned  discovery  is  fully  vindicated." 

203 


204  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


NEW   YORK. 


in  favor  of  the  former  opinion.  If  so,  the  merit  of  the  dis 
covery  is  due  to  Verrazzano,  and  the  date  of  that  discovery 
is  the  spring  of  1524.  This  navigator  was  a  Florentine,  in 
the  service  of  Francis  I.  of  France.  At  this  time  he  was 
on  a  voyage  of  discovery.  He  first  made  the  American 
coast,  near  Wilmington,  North  Carolina.  From  this  point, 
he  sailed  south  as  far  as  Georgia,  after  which  he  directed  his 
course  north,  and  entered,  as  we  have  stated,  the  harbor  of 
New  York. 

In  this  harbor,  according  to  his  own  account,  he  staid 
about  fifteen  days.  He  and  his  men  frequently  went  on 
shore  to  obtain  supplies,  and  to  see  the  country.  He  says 
expressly  :  "Sometimes  our  men  stayed  two  or  three  daies 
on  a  little  island  neere  the  ship  for  divers  necessaries."  And 
again,  "  we  were  oftentimes  within  the  land  five  or  six 
leagues,  which  we  found  as  pleasant  as  is  possible  to  declare, 
very  apt  for  any  kind  of  husbandry,  of  corne,  wine,  and 
oyle.  We  entered  afterwards  into  the  woods,  which  we 
found  so  great  and  thicke,  that  any  army,  were  it  never  so 
great,  might  have  hid  itselfe  therein;  the  trees  whereof  are 
okes,  cipresse  trees,  and  other  sortes  unknowen  in  Europe" 

Verrazzano  returned  to  France  in  July.  He  gave  to  the 
whole  country,  whose  coast  he  had  explored,  the  name  of 
New  France.  It  is  distressing  to  add,  that  in  a  subsequent 
voyage,  according  to  some  authorities,  Verrazzano  was  cut 
to  pieces  by  the  savages,  who  murdered  him  and  others,  who 
had  gone  ashore,  in  the  sight  of  those  who  remained  on 
board  the  ship,  the  latter  being  unable  to  rescue  them. 

From  this  time  nearly  a  century  elapsed  before  the  least 
addition  was  made  to  the  knowledge  of  this  part  of  the 
American  Continent. 

In  1609,  however,  Henry  Hudson  arrived  on  the  Ameri 
can  coast.  Hudson  was  an  Englishman.  He  had  in  years 
previous,  under  the  patronage  of  some  English  merchants, 
made  two  voyages,  with  the  hope  of  discovering  a  passage  to 
India  by  the  north  ;  but  failing  in  his  object,  he  had  return 
ed  to  England.  Thence  he  proceeded  to  Holland,  and  en 
gaged  in  the  service  of  the  Dutch  East  India  Company.  By 
the  latter  he  was  furnished  with  a  small  ship,  called  the  Half' 
Moon,  manned  by  twenty  men,  and  with  which  lie  left  Am 
sterdam  on  the  4th,  and  the  Texel  on  the  6th,  of  April, 
1609. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  205 


NEW  YORK. 


An  account  of  the  voyage  of  Verrazzario  had  been  pub 
lished  nine  years  before  this  of  Hudson  ;  but  there  is  no  evi 
dence  of  his  having  seen  it.  Hence  he  is  entitled  to  the 
merit  of  an  original  discoverer.  He  appears  to  have  first 
landed  where  Portland  (Maine)  now  stands,  and  to  have  re 
mained  on  shore  six  days.  Thence  pursuing  a  southerly 
course,  he  reached  Chesapeake  Bay,  whence  he  again  coast 
ed  northward,  and  on  the  3d  of  Sept.  anchored  within  Sandy 
Hook. 

"  The  next  day,  the  4th  of  September,  he  sent  a  boat  on 
shore  for  the  purpose  of  fishing.  The  tradition  is,  that  his 
men  first  landed  on  Coney  island,  which  lies  near  to  Long 
Island,  and  now  makes  a  part  of  King's  County.  On  the 
same  day,  the  natives  came  on  board  of  his  ship,  as  she  lay 
at  anchor,  conducting  themselves  with  great  apparent  friend 
liness,  and  discovering  a  strong  disposition  to  barter  the 
produce  of  their  country  for  knives,  beads,  clothes,  and  other 
articles  of  a  similar  kind.  The  next  day,  the  5th  of  Sep 
tember,  Hudson  again  sent  his  boat  on  shore,  for  the  pur 
pose,  as  appears  from  the  journal,  of  exploring  and  sound 
ing  the  waters  lying  to  the  south,  within  Sandy  Hook,  and 
forming  what  is  now  called  the  Horse-Shoe.  Here  the  boat's 
crew  landed,  and  penetrated  some  distance  into  the  woods, 
in  what  is  now  Moninouth  county,  in  New  Jersey.  They 
were  well  received  by  the  natives,  who  presented  them  very 
kindly  with,  what  the  journal  calls,  "  green  tobacco,"  and 
also  with  "dried  courants,"*  which  are  represented  as  hav 
ing  been  found  in  great  plenty  and  of  a  very  excellent  quality. 

"  On  the  6th  of  September,  Hudson  sent  a  bout,  manned 
with  five  hands,  to  explore  what  appeared  to  be  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  at  the  distance  of  about  four  leagues  from  the 
ship.  This  was  no  doubt  the  strait  between  Long  and 
Statrn  islands,  generally  called  the  Narrows.  Here  the 
writer  of  the  journal  observes,  "  a  good  depth  of  water  was 
found,"  and,  within,  a  large  opening  and  a  narrow  river  to 
the  west,  in  which  it  is  evident  he  refers  to  what  is  now  call 
ed  the  Kills,  or  the  channels  between  Btrgcn  Ncrk,  and 
Staten  island.  In  exploring  the  bay,  and  the  adjacent  wa 
ters,  the  boat's  crew  spent  the  whole  day.  On  their  way,  in 
returning  to  the  ship,  towards  night,  they  were  attacked  by 

*  These  were  probably  whortleberries,  or  some  other  wild  berries,  of 
a  similar  kind,  which  the  Indians  were  accustomed  to  dry. 


206  TRAVELS  AND    SKETCHES 


KEW  YORK. 


the  natives  in  two  canoes;  the  one  carrying  fourteen  men, 
the  other  twelve.  A  skirmish  ensued,  in  which  one  of  Hud 
son's  men,  named  John  Colman,  was  killed,  by  an  arrow, 
which  struck  him  in  the  throat,  and  two  more  wounded. — 
The  next  day,  the  remains  of  Colman  was  interred  on  a  point 
of  land  not  far  from  the  ship,  which  from  that  circumstance 
received  the  name  of  Column's  Point ;  and  which  was  prob 
ably  the  same  that  is  now  called  Sandy  Ifook."* 

On  the  llth  of  September,  Hudson  entered  the  river, 
which  bears  his  name,  from  which  time  to  the  22d,  he  con 
tinued  to  ascend  it.  The  ship  reached  a  point  somewhat 
above  where  the  city  of  Hudson  now  stands.  From  this 
place,  Hudson  despatched  a  boat,  which  ascended  as  far  as 
the  present  site  of  Albany.  On  the  23d,  he  began  to  de 
scend  the  river,  and  on  the  4th  of  October,  he  left  it,  and 
immediately  stood  out  to  sea,  proceeding  directly  for  Eu 
rope,  where  he  arrived  on  the  7th  of  November  following. — 
Like  his  predecessor  Verrazzano,  he  also  came  to  a  misera 
ble  end.  During  a  subsequent  voyage,  commenced  in  1610, 
a  spirit  of  mutiny  appeared  among  his  crew,  a  majority  of 
whom  took  the  command  of  the  ship  from  Hudson,  whom, 
with  his  son,  and  seven  others,  they  put  into  a  boat,  and 
abandoned  them  to  their  fate.  No  further  tidings  were  ever 
heard  of  them. 

By  virtue  of  this  discovery,  both  the  Dutch  and  English 
gave  the  name  of  Hudson  to  the  river.  As  a  place  of  set 
tlement,  the  former  were  soon  attracted  to  the  territory. — 
Owing,  it  is  said,  to  the  hostility  of  the  Indians  near  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  a  fort  and  trading  house  were  first  erect 
ed,  1614,  near  the  spot  where  Albany  now  stands.  To 
wards  the  close  of  the  same  year,  or  in  the  course  of  the 
next,  a  small  trading  house  and  fort  were  erected  on  Man- 
hattan\  island,  and  called  New  Amsterdam.  This  was  the 
commencement  of  the  city  of  New  York. 

The  city,  as  well  as  the  State  of  New  York,  continued  in 
possession  of  the  Dutch,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  years, 
until  the  peace  of  1664,  when  it  came  under  the  British  do 
minion.  During  the  period  the  Dutch  possessed  it,  the  style 
of  architecture,  dress,  manners,  customs, — all  were  of  course 

*  Miller's  Historical  Discourse,  1809. 

t  This  was  the  Indian  name  of  the  island. 


208  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


NEW   YORK. 


Dutch.  The  following  amusing  notices  of  some  of  these 
subjects  are  given  us  by  that  amusing  chronicler  of  the  "old 
en  time,"  Dit'drich  Knickerbocker  : 

"  The  houses  of  the  higher  classes,"  says  he,  "  were  gen 
erally  constructed  of  wood,  excepting  the  gable  end,  which 
was  of  small  black  and  yellow  Dutch  bricks,  and  always 
faced  on  the  street,  as  our  ancestors,  like  their  descendants, 
were  very  much  given  to  outward  show,  and  were  noted  for 
putting  the  best  leg  foremost.  The  house  was  always  fur 
nished  with  abundance  of  large  doors,  and  small  windows  on 
every  floor:  the  date  of  its  erection  was  curiously  designated 
by  iron  figures  on  the  front,  and  on  the  top  of  the  roof  was 
perched  a  fierce  little  weathercock,  to  let  the  family  into  the 
important  secret,  which  way  the  wind  blew.  These,  like 
the  weathercocks  on  the  tops  of  our  steeples,  pointed  so,  ma 
ny  different  ways,  that  every  man  could  have  a  wind  to  his 
mind  ; — the  most  staunch  and  loyal  citizens,  however,  always 
went  according  to  the  weathercock  on  the  top  of  the  Gov 
ernor's  house,  which  was  certainly  the  most  correct,  as  he 
had  a  trusty  servant  employed  every  morning  to  climb  up 
and  set  it  to  the  right  quarter. 

"  In  those  good  days  of  simplicity  and  sunshine,  a  pas 
sion  for  cleanliness  was  the  leading  principle  in  domestic 
economy,  and  the  universal  test  of  an  able  housewife — a 
character  which  formed  the  utmost  ambition  of  our  unen 
lightened  grandmothers.  The  front  door  was  never  opened 
except  on  marriages,  funerals,  new-year's  days,  the  festival 
of  St.  Nicholas,  or  some  such  great  occasion.  It  was  orna 
mented  with  a  gorgeous  brass  knocker,  curiously  wrought, 
sometimes  in  the  device  of  a  dog,  and  sometimes  of  a  lion's 
head,  and  was  daily  burnished  with  such  religious  zeal,  that 
it  was  oft-times  worn  out  by  the  very  precautions  taken  for 
its  preservation.  The  whole  house  was  constantly  in  a  state 
of  inundation,  under  the  discipline  of  mops  and  brooms  and 
scrubbing-brushes;  and  the  good  housewives  of  those  days 
were  a  kind  of  amphibious  animal,  delighting  exceedingly  to 
be  dabbling  in  water — insomuch  that  an  historian  of  the  day 
gravely  tells  us,  that  many  of  his  townswomen  grew  to  have 
webbed  fingers  like  unto  a  duck  ;  and  some  of  them,  he  had 
little  doubt,  could  the  matter  be  examined  into,  would  be 
found  to  have  the  tails  of  mermaids — but  this  I  look  upon  to 
be  a  mere  sport  of  fancy,  or,  what  is  worse,  a  wilful  mis 
representation. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  209 

NEW   YORK. 

"  The  grand  parlor  was  the  sanctum  sanctorum,  where 
the  passion  for  cleaning  was  indulged  without  control.  In 
this  sacred  apartment,  no  one  was  permitted  to  enter,  ex 
cepting  the  mistress  and  her  confidential  maid,  who  visited 
it  once  a  week,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  it  a  thorough  clean 
ing  and  putting  things  to  rights — always  taking  the  precau 
tion  of  leaving  their  shoes  at  the  door,  and  entering  devoutly 
on  their  feet.  After  scrubbing  the  floor,  sprinkling  it  with 
fine  white  sand,  which  was  curiously  stroked  into  angles,  and 
curves,  and  rhomboids,  with  a  broom — after  washing  the 
windows,  rubbing  and  polishing  the  furniture,  and  putting  a 
new  bunch  of  evergreens  in  the  fireplace — the  window-shut 
ters  were  again  closed  to  keep  out  the  flies,  and  the  room 
carefully  locked  up,  until  the  revolution  of  time  brought 
round  the  weekly  cleaning  day. 

"  As  to  the  family r  they  always  entered  in  at  the  gate,  and 
most  generally  lived  in  the  kitchen.  To  have  seen  a  numer 
ous  household  assembled  around  the  fire,  one  would  have 
imagined  that  he  was  transported  back  to  those  happy  d»y& 
of  primeval  simplicity,  which  float  before  our  imagination! 
like  golden  visions.  The  fire-places  were  of  a  trujty  patri-. 
archal  magnitude,  where  the  whole  family,  old  a^4;  young,, 
master  and  servant,  black  and  white,  nay,  eveti  th«  cat  and1 
dog,  enjoyed  a  community  of  privilege,  and  fea4!  each,  a  right 
to  a  corner.  Here  the  old  burgher  would  sit  in  perfect  si 
lence,  puffing  his  pipe,  looking  in  the  ftirc-with  half-shut  eyes, 
and  thinking  of  nothing  for  hours  together ;  the  goedt  vrouw 
on  the  opposite  side  would  employ  herself  diligently  in  spin 
ning  yarn  or  knitting  stockings.  The  young  folks  would 
crowd  round  the  hearth,  listening  with-  breathless  attention, 
to  some  old  crone  of  a  negro,  wbo  was  the  oracle  of  the 
family,  and  who,  perched  tike  a  raven  in  a  corner  of  the 
chimney,  would  croak  forth  for  a  long  winter  afternoon  a 
string  of  incredible  stories  about  New  England  witches — 
grisly  ghosts,  horses  without  heads — and  hairbreadth  es 
capes,  and  bloody  encounters  among  the  Indians. 

"  In  those  happy  days  a  well  regulated  family  always  rose 
with  the  dawn,  dined  at  eleven,  and  went  to  bed  at  sundown. 
Dinner  was  invariably  a  private  meal,  and  the  fat  old  burgh 
ers  showed  incontestible  symptoms  of  disapprobation  and  un 
easiness  at  being  surprised  by  a  visit  from  a  neighbor  on  such 
occasions.  But  though  our  worthy  ancestors  were  thus  sin 
gularly  averse  to  giving  dinners,  yet  they  kept  up  the  social 

14 


210  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

NEW  YOUK. 

bands  of  intimacy  by  occasional  banquetings,  called  tea- 
parties. 

"  These  fashionable  parties  were  generally  confined  to 
the  higher  classes,  or  noblesse,  that  is  to  say,  such  as  kept 
their  own  cows,  and  drove  their  own  wagons.  The  com 
pany  commonly  assembled  at  three  o'clock,  and  went  away 
about  six,  unless  it  was  in  winter  time,  when  the  fashionable 
hours  were  a  little  earlier,  that  the  ladies  might  get  home 
before  dark.  The  tea-table  was  crowned  with  a  huge  earth 
en  dish,  well  stored  with  slices  of  fat  pork,  fried  brown,  cut 
up  into  morsels,  and  swimming  in  gravy.  The  company 
being  seated  around  the  genial  board,  and  each  furnished 
with  a  fork,  evinced  their  dexterity  in  launching  at  the  fat 
test  pieces  in  this  mighty  dish — in  much  the  same  manner 
as  sailors  harpoon  porpoises  at  sea,  or  our  Indians  spear  sal 
mon  in  the  lakes.  Sometimes  the  table  was  graced  with 
immense  apple-pies,  or  saucers  full  of  preserved  peaches  and 
pears ;  but  it  was  always  sure  to  boast  of  an  enormous  dish 
of  balls  of  sweetened  dough,  fried  in  hog's  fat,  and  called 
doughnuts,  or  oly  keoks — a  delicious  kind  of  cake,  at  pres 
ent  scarce  known  in  the  city,  excepting  in  genuine  Dutch 
families. 

"  The  tea  was  served  out  of  a  majestic  delf  teapot,  orna 
mented  with  paintings  of  fat  little  Dutch  shepherds  and 
shepherdesses  tending  pigs — with  boats  sailing  in  the  air, 
and  houses  built  in  the  clouds,  and  sundry  other  ingenious 
Dutch  fantasies.  The  beaux  distinguished  themselves  by 
their  adroitness  in  replenishing  this  pot  from  a  huge  copper 
tea-kettle,  which  would  have  made  the  pigmy  macaronies  of 
these  degenerate  days  sweat  merely  to  look  at  it.  To  sweet 
en  the  beverage,  a  lump  of  sugar  was  laid  beside  each  cup 
— and  the  company  alternately  nibbled  and  sipped  with  great 
decorum,  until  an  improvement  was  introduced  by  a  shrewd 
and  economical  old  lady,  which  was  to  suspend  a  large  lump 
directly  over  the  tea-table,  by  a  string  from  the  ceiling,  so 
that  it  could  be  swung  from  mouth  to  mouth — an  ingenious 
expedient,  which  is  still  kept  up  by  some  families  in  Albany ; 
but  which  prevails  without  exception  in  Communipiaw,  Ber 
gen,  Flat  Bush,  and  all  our  uncontaminated  Dutch  villages. 

"  At  these  primitive  tea-parties  the  utmost  propriety  and 
dignity  of  deportment  prevailed.  No  flirting  nor  coquet 
ting — no  rambling  of  old  ladies,  nor  hoyden  chattering  and 
romping  of  younger  ones — no  self-satisfied  struttings  of 


IN   NORTH    AMERICA.  211 


NEW  YORK. 


wealthy  gentlemen,  with  their  brains  in  their  pockets — nor 
amusing  conceits,  and  monkey  divertisements  of  smart 
young  gentlemen  with  no  brains  at  all.  On  the  contrary, 
the  young  ladies  seated  themselves  demurely  in  their  rush- 
bottomed  chairs,  and  knit  their  own  woollen  stockings ;  nor 
ever  opened  their  lips,  excepting  to  say,  yahMynhcr,  or  yah 
ya  Vrouw,  to  any  question  that  was  asked  them  ;  behaving, 
in  all  things,  like  decent,  well  educated  damsels.  As  to  the 
gentlemen,  each  of  them  tranquilly  smoked  his  pipe,  and 
seemed  lost  in  contemplation  of  the  blue  and  white  tiles 
with  which  the  fire-places  were  decorated  ;  wherein  sundry 
passages  of  Scripture  were  piously  portrayed — Tobit  and  his 
dog  figured  to  great  advantage;  Haman  swung  conspicuous 
ly  on  his  gibbet,  and  Jonah  appeared  most  manfully  bound 
ing  out  of  a  whale,  like  Harlequin  through  a  barrel  of  fire. 

"  The  parties  broke  up  without  noise  and  without  confu 
sion.  They  were  carried  home  by  their  own  carriages,  that 
is  to  say,  by  the  vehicles  nature  had  provided  them,  except 
ing  such  of  the  wealthy  as  could  afford  to  keep  a  wagon. — 
The  gentlemen  gallantly  attended  their  fair  ones  to  their  res 
pective  abodes,  and  took  leave  of  them  with  a  hearty  smack 
at  the  door  :  which,  as  it  was  an  established  piece  of  eti 
quette,  done  in  perfect  simplicity  and  honesty  of  heart,  occa 
sioned  no  scandal  at  that  time,  nor  should  it  at  present — if 
our  great-grandfathers  approved  of  the  custom,  it  would  ar 
gue  a  great  want  of  reverence  in  their  descendants  to  say  a 
word  against  it."* 

Another  writer,  who  has  also  garnered  up  a  merry  mass  of 
facts  in  relation  to  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  Dutch  in 
the  "  olden  time,"  gives  us  the  following  description. 

"The  Dutch  kept  five  festivals  of  peculiar  notoriety,  in 
the  year  :  Ktrstydt,  (Christmas) ;  Nicuwjar,  (New  Year) ; 
a  great  day  of  cake,  Paas,  (the  Passover)  ;  Pi?ixtcr,  (i.  e. 
Whitsuntide);  and  San  Claas,  (i.  e.  Saint  Nicholas,  or 
Christ-kinkle  day).  The  negroes  on  Long  Island  on  some 
of  those  days  carne  in  great  crowds  to  Brooklyn  and  held 
their  field  frolics."  Nicuwjar  or  New  Year's  day  is  still  ob 
served  with  much  good  feeling  and  hospitality  both  at  New 
York  and  Albany;  especially  among  the  descendants  of  the 
primitive  stock. 

"  It  was  the  general  practice  of  families  in  middle  life  to 

*  History  of  New  York,  by  Diedrich  Knickerbocker 


212  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

NEW   YORK. 

spin,  find  make  much  of  their  domestic  wear  at  home. — 
Short  gowns  and  petticoats  were  the  general  in-door 
dresses. 

"  Young  women  who  dressed  gay  to  go  abroad  to  visit,  or 
to  church,  never  failed  to  take  off  that  dress  and  put  on  their 
homemade,  as  soon  as  they  got  home  ;  even  on  Sunday  even 
ings,  when  they  expected  company,  or  even  their  beaux,  it 
was  their  best  recommendation  to  seem  thus  frugal  and 
ready  for  any  domestic  avocation.  The  boys  and  young 
men  of  a  family  always  changed  their  dress  for  a  common 
dress  in  the  same  way.  There  was  no  custom  of  offering 
drink  to  their  guests  ;  when  punch  was  offered,  it  was  in 
great  bowls. 

"  Dutch  dances  were  very  common;  the  supper  on  such 
occasions  was  hot  chocolate  and  bread. 

"  The  negroes  used  to  dance  in  the  markets,  using  torn- 
tons,  horns,  &c.  for  music. 

"  None  of  the  stores  or  tradesmen's  shops  then  aimed  at 
any  rivalry  as  now.  There  were  no  glaring  allurements  at 
windows,  no  over-reaching  signs,  no  big  bulk  windows;  they 
were  content  to  sell  things  at  honest  profits,  and  to  trust  to 
an  earned  reputation  for  their  share  of  business. 

"  M:my  aged  persons  have  spoken  to  me  of  the  former 
delightful  practice  of  families  sitting  out  on  their  '  stoops' 
in  the  shades  of  the  evening,  and  their  saluting  the  passing 
friends,  or  talking  across  the  narrow  streets  with  neighbors. 
It  was  one  of  the  grand  links  of  union  in  the  Knickerbocker 
social  compact.  It  endeared,  and  made  social  neighbors  ; 
made  intercourse  on  easy  terms;  it  was  only  to  say,  come, 
sit  down.  It  helped  the  young  to  easy  introductions,  and 
made  courtships  of  readier  attainment. 

"  I  give  some  facts  to  illustrate  the  above  remarks,  de 
duced  from  the  family  B with  which  I  am  personally 

acquainted.  It  shows  primitive  Dutch  manners.  His  grand 
father  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-three,  in  1782,  holding  the 
office  of  alderman  eleven  years,  and  once  chosen  mayor  and 
declined.  Such  a  man,  in  easy  circumstances  in  life,  fol 
lowing  the  true  Dutch  ton,  had  all  his  family  to  breakfast,  all 
the  year  round,  at  daylight.  Before  the  breakfast  he  univer 
sally  smoked  his  pipe.  His  family  always  dined  at  twelve 
exactly,  at  that  time  the  kettle  was  invariably  set  on  the  fire 
for  tea,  of  Bohea,  which  was  always  as  punctually  furnished 
at  three  o'clock.  Then  the  old  people  went  abroad  on  pur- 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  213 


NEW  YOKK. 


pose  to  visit  relatives,  changing  the  families  each  night  in 
succession,  over  and  over  again  all  the  year  round.  The 
regale  at  every  such  house  was  expected  as  matter  of  course 
to  be  chocolate  supper,  and  soft  waffles. 

"  Afterwards,  when  green  tea  came  in  as  a  new  luxury, 
loaf  sugar  also  came  with  it;  this  was  broken  in  large  lumps 
and  laid  severally  by  each  cup,  and  was  nibbled  or  bitten  as 
needed  ! 

"  The  family  before  referred  to  actually  continued  the 
practice  till  as  late  as  seventeen  years  ago,  with  a  steady  de 
termination  in  the  patriarch  to  resist  the  modern  innovation 
of  dissolved  sugar,  while  he  lived. 

"  While  they  occupied  the  stoops  in  the  evening,  you 
could  see  every  here  and  there  an  old  Knickerbocker  with 
his  long  pipe,  fuming  away  his  cares,  and  ready  on  any  oc 
casion  to  offer  another  for  the  use  of  any  passing  friend  who 
would  sit  down  and  join  him.  The  ideal  picture  has  every 
lineament  of  contented  comfort  and  cheerful  repose.  Some 
thing  much  more  composed  and  happy  than  the  bustling 
anxiety  of  *  over  business'  in  the  moderns. 

"  The  cleanliness  of  Dutch  housewifery  was  always  ex 
treme  ;  every  thing  had  to  submit  to  scrubbing  and  scouring  ; 
dirt  in  no  form  could  be  endured  by  them  :  and  dear  as  water 
was  in  the  city,  where  it  was  generally  sold,  still  it  was  in  per 
petual  requisition.  It  was  their  honest  pride  to  see  a  well 
furnished  dresser,  showing  copper  and  pewter  in  shining 
splendor,  as  if  for  ornament,  rather  than  for  use. 

"  It  was  common  in  families  then  to  cleanse  their  own 
chimneys  without  the  aid  of  hired  sweeps;  and  all  trades 
men,  &,c.  were  accustomed  to  saw  their  own  fuel.  No  man 
in  middle  circumstances  of  life  ever  scrupled  to  carry  home 
his  one  cwt.  of  meal  from  the  market ;  it  would  have  been 
his  shame  to  have  avoided  it."* 

In  respect  to  the  apparel  of  those  days,  the  author  above 
cited  observes:  "  Men  wore  three-square  or  cocked  hats, 
and  wigs;  coats  with  large  cuffs,  big  skirts  lined  and  stiffen 
ed  with  buckram.  None  ever  saw  a  crown  higher  than  the 
head.  The  coat  of  a  beau  had  three  or  four  large  plaits  in 
the  skirts,  wadding  almost  like  a  coverlet  to  keep  them 
smooth  ;  cuffs  very  large,  up  to  the  elbows,  open  below  and 
inclined  down,  with  lead  therein ;  the  capes  were  thin  and 

*  Watson's  Historic  Tales  of  olden  time. 


214  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


NEW  YORK. 


low,  so  as  readily  to  expose  the  close  plaited  neck-stock  of 
fine  linen  cambric,  and  the  large  silver  stock-buckle  on  the 
back  of  the  neck  ;  shirts  with  hand  ruffles,  sleeves  finely 
plaited,  breeches  close  fitted,  with  silver,  stone,  or  paste  gem 
buckles  ;  shoes  or  pumps  with  silver  buckles  of  various  sizes 
and  patterns  ;  thread,  worsted,  and  silk  stockings;  the  poorer 
class  wore  sheep  and  buckskin  breeches  close  set  to  the 
limbs.  Gold  and  silver  sleeve  buttons,  set  with  stones  or 
paste  of  various  colors  and  kinds,  adorned  the  wrists  of  the 
shirts  of  all  classes.  The  very  boys  often  wore  wigs ;  and 
their  dresses  in  general  were  similar  to  those  of  the  men. 

"  The  women  wore  caps,  (a  bare  head  was  never  seen,) 
stiff  stays,  hoops  from  six  inches  to  two  feet  on  each  side  ; 
high  heeled  shoes  of  black  stuff,  with  white  silk  or  thread 
stockings ;  and  in  the  miry  times  of  the  winter  they  wore 
clogs,  gala  shoes,  or  patterns. 

"  As  soon  as  wigs  were  abandoned,  and  the  natural  hair 
was  cherished,  it  became  the  mode  to  dress  it  by  plaiting  it, 
by  queuing  and  clubbing,  or  by  wearing  it  in  a  black  silk 
sack  or  bag,  adorned  with  a  large  black  rose. 

"  In  time,  the  powder  with  which  wigs  and  the  natural 
hair  had  been  severally  adorned,  was  run  into  disrepute 
(about  28  or  30  years  ago)  by  the  then  strange  innovation  of 
'  Brutus  heads  ; '  not  only  then  discarding  the  long  cherished 
powder  and  perfume,  and  tortured  frizzle-work,  but  also  lit 
erally  becoming  '  round  heads  '  by  cropping  off  all  the  pen 
dent  graces  of  ties,  bobs,  clubs,  queus,  &,c.  The  hardy 
beaux  who  first  encountered  public  opinion  by  appearing 
abroad  uripowdered  and  cropt,  had  many  starers.  The  old 
men,  for  a  time,  obstinately  persisted  in  adherence  to  the  old 
regime  ;  but  death  thinned  their  ranks,  and  use  and  preva 
lence  of  numbers  at  length  gave  countenance  to  modern 
usage. 

'•  From  various  reminiscents,  we  glean  that  laced  ruffles 
depending  over  the  hand,  was  a  mark  of  indispensable  gen 
tility.  The  coat  and  breeches  were  generally  desirable  of 
the  same  material — of  '  broadcloth  '  for  winter,  and  of  silk 
camlet  for  summer.  No  kind  of  cotton  fabrics  were  then 
in  use,  or  known.  Hose  were,  therefore,  of  thread  or  silk 
in  summer,  and  fine  worsted  in  winter ;  shoes  were  square- 
toed,  and  were  often  '  double  channelled.'  To  these  suc 
ceeded  sharp  toes,  as  piked  as  possible.  When  wigs  were 
universally  worn,  grey  wigs  were  powdered  ;  and  for  that 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  215 


NEW  YORK. 


purpose  sent  in  a  wooden  box  frequently  to  the  barber  to 
be  dressed  on  his  blockhead.  But  '  brown  wigs/  so  called, 
were  exempted  from  the  white  disguise.  Coats  of  red 
cloth,  even  by  boys,  were  considerably  worn  ;  and  plush 
breeches,  and  plush  vests  of  various  colors,  shining  and 
smooth,  were  in  common  use.  Everlasting,  made  of  worsted, 
was  a  fabric  of  great  use  for  breeches,  and  sometimes  for 
vests.  The  vest  had  great  depending  pocket  flaps,  and  the 
breeches  were  short  above  the  stride,  because  the  art,  since 
devised,  of  suspending  them  by  suspenders,  was  then  un 
known.  It  was  then  the  test  and  even  the  pride  of  a  well- 
formed  man,  that  he  could  by  his  natural  form  readily  keep 
his  breeches  above  his  hips,  and  his  stockings,  without 
gartering,  above  the  calf  of  his  leg.  With  the  queus  be 
longed  frizzled  side-locks  and  tout  pies,  formed  of  the 
natural  hair,  or,  in  defect  of  a  long  tie,  a  splice  was  added  to 
it.  Such  was  the  general  passion  for  the  longest  possible 
whip  of  hair,  that  sailors  and  boatmen,  to  make  it  grow 
most,  used  to  tie  theirs  in  eel  skins.  Nothing  like  sur- 
touts  were  known  ;  but  they  had  coating  or  cloth  great 
coats,  or  blue  cloth  and  brown  camlet  cloaks,  with  green 
baize  lining  to  the  latter.  In  the  time  of  the  American 
war,  many  of  the  American  officers  introduced  the  use  of 
Dutch  blankets  for  great-coats.  The  sailors  used  to  wear 
hats  of  glazed  leather,  or  woollen  thrums,  called  chapeaus ; 
and  their  '  small  clothes,5  as  we  now  call  them,  were  im 
mensely  wide  '  petticoat-breeches.'  The  working  men  in 
the  country  wore  the  same  form,  having  no  falling-flaps, 
but  slits  in  front ;  and  they  were  so  full  in  girth,  that  they 
ordinarily  changed  the  rear  to  the  front,  when  the  seat  be 
came  prematurely  worn  out.  At  the  same  time  numerous 
working  men  and  boys,  and  all  tradesmen,  wore  leather 
breeches  and  leather  aprons. 

"  Some  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  female  dress  were 
these,  to  wit:  Ancient  ladies  are  still  alive,  who  often  had 
their  hair  tortured  for  hours  at  a  sitting,  in  getting  up  for 
a  dress  occasion,  the  proper  crisped  curls  of  a  hair  curler. 
This  formidable  outfit  of  head-work  was  next  succeeded 
by  *  rollers,'  over  which  the  hair  was  combed  above  the 
forehead.  These  were  again  superseded  by  'cushions' 
and  artificial  curled  work,  which  could  be  sent  to  the  bar 
ber's  block,  like  a  wig,  '  to  be  dressed,'  leaving  the  lady  at 
home  to  pursue  other  objects. 


216  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 

NEW  YORK. 

"  When  the  ladies  first  began  to  lay  off  their  cumbrous 
hoops,  they  supplied  their  place  with  successive  substitutes, 
such  as  these,  to  wit :  first  came  '  bishops,'  a  thing  stuffed  or 
padded  with  horsehair;  then  succeeded  a  smaller  affair,  un 
der  the  name  of  Cue  de  Paris,  also  padded  with  horsehair. 

"  Among  other  articles  of  female  wear,  we  may  name 
the  following,  to  wit :  Once  they  wore  a  '  ilnmmer-katj 
made  of  a  fabric  which  shone  like  silver  tinsel  ;  it  was  of  a 
very  small  flat  crown  and  big  brim,  not  unlike  the  present 
Leghorn  flats.  Another  hat,  not  unlike  it  in  shape,  was 
made  of  woven  horsehair,  wove  in  flowers,  and  called 
'horsehair  bonnets,'  an  article  which  might  be  again  use 
fully  introduced  for  children's  wear,  as  an  enduring  hat  for 
long  service.  I  have  seen  what  was  called  a  bath-bonnet, 
made  of  black  satin,  and  so  constructed  to  lay  in  folds, 
that  it  could  be  set  upon,  like  a  chapeau  bras;  a  good  arti 
cle  now  for  travelling  ladies.  The  '  muskmdon-bonnct'  used 
before  the  Revolution,  had  numerous  whalebone  stiffeners 
in  the  crown,  set  an  inch  apart,  in  parallel  lines,  and  pre 
senting  ridges  to  the  eye  between  the  bones.  The  next 
bonnet  was  the  '  whalebone-bonnet,'  having  only  the  bones 
in  the  front  as  stiffeners.  A  '  calash-bonnet '  was  always 
formed  of  green  silk  ;  it  was  worn  abroad,  covering  the 
head,  but  when  in  rooms  it  could  fall  back  in  folds  like  the 
springs  of  a  calash  or  gig  top  ;  to  keep  it  over  the  head,  it 
was  drawn  up  by  a  cord  always  held  in  the  hand  of  the 
wearer.  The  '  wagon-bonnet,'  always  of  black  silk,  was 
an  article  exclusively  in  use  among  the  Friends,  and  was 
deemed  to  look,  on  the  head,  not  unlike  the  top  of  the 
'  Jersey  wagons,'  and  having  a  pendent  piece  of  like  silk 
hanging  from  the  bonnet  and  covering  the  shoulders.  The 
only  straw  wear  was  that  called  the  '  straw  Cheshire  bonnet,' 
worn  generally  by  old  people. 

"  The  ladies  once  wore  '  hollow  breasted  stays,'  which  were 
exploded  as  injurious  to  the  health.  Then  came  the  use  of 
straight  stays.  Even  little  girls  wore  such  stays.  At  one 
time  the  gowns  worn  had  no  fronts;  the  design  was  to  dis 
play  a  finely  quilted  Marseilles,  silk,  or  satin  petticoat,  and  a 
worked  stomacher  on  the  waist.  In  other  dresses,  a  white  apron 
was  the  mode;  .ill  wore  large  pockets  under  their  gowns. 
Among  the  cnps  was  the  '  queen's  nightcap ,'  the  same 
always  worn  by  Lady  Washington.  The  '  cushion  headdress  ' 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  217 


NEW  YORK. 


was  of  gauze,  stiffened  out  in   cylindrical  form,  with  white 
spiral  wire.     The  border  of  the  cap  was  called  the  balcony. 

"  Formerly  there  were  no  sideboards,  and  when  they  were 
first  introduced  after  the  Revolution,  they  were  much  smaller 
and  less  expensive  than  now.  Formerly  they  had  couches  of 
worsted  damask,  and  only  in  very  affluent  families,  in  lieu  of 
what  we  call  sofas,  or  lounges.  Plain  people  used  settees  and 
settles, — the  latter  had  a  bed  concealed  in  the  seat,  and  by 
folding  the  top  of  it  outwards  to  the  front,  it  exposed  the 
bed,  and  widened  the  place  for  the  bed  to  be  spread  upon  it." 

In  those  days,  "  there  were  no  Windsor  chairs  :  and  fan 
cy  chairs  are  still  more  modern.  Their  chairs  of  the  gen- 
teelest  kind  were  of  mahogany  or  red  walnut,  (once  a  great 
substitute  for  mahogany  in  all  kinds  of  furniture,  tables,  &/c.) 
or  else  they  were  of  rush.bottom,  and  made  of  maple  posts 
and  slats,  with  high  backs  and  perpendicular.  Instead  of 
japanned  waiters  as  now,  they  had  mahogany  tea  boards,  and 
round  tea  tables,  which  being  turned  on  an  axle  underneath 
the  centre,  stood  upright,  like  an  expanded  fan  or  palm-leaf, 
in  the  corner.  Another  corner  was  occupied  by  a  beaufet, 
which  was  a  corner  closet  with  a  glass  door,  in  which  all  the 
china  of  the  family  was  intended  to  be  displayed,  for  orna 
ment  as  well  as  use.  A  conspicuous  article  in  the  collection 
was  always  a  great  china  punchbowl,  which  furnished  a  fre 
quent  and  grateful  beverage, — for  wine  drinking  was  then 
much  less  in  vogue.  China  teacups  and  saucers  were  then 
about  half  their  present  size  ;  and  china  teapots  and  coffee- 
pots,  with  silver  nozzles,  was  a  mark  of  superior  finery. 
The  sham  of  plated  ware  was  not  then  known,  and  all  who 
showed  a  silver  surface  had  the  massive  metal  too.  This 
occurred  in  the  wealthy  families,  in  little  coffee  and  tea 
pots  ;  and  a  silver  tankard  for  good  sugared  toddy,  was  above 
vulgar  entertainment.  Where  we  now  use  earthen  ware, 
they  then  used  delf  ware,  imported  from  England;  and  in 
stead  of  queens  ware,  (then  unknown,)  pewter  platters  and 
porringers,  made  to  shine  along  a  'dresser,'  were  universal. 
Some,  and  especially  the  country  people,  ate  their  meals  from 
wooden  trenchers.  Gilded  looking-glasses  and  picture 
frames  of  golden  glare  were  unknown;  and  both,  much  small 
er  than  now,  were  used.  Small  pictures  painted  on  glass, 
with  black  mouldings  for  frames,  with  a  scanty  touch  of  gold 
leaf  in  the  corners,  was  the  adornment  of  a  parlor.  The 


218  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


NEW  YORK. 


looking-glasses  in  two  plates,  iflarge,  had  either  glass  frames 
figured  with  flowers  engraved  thereon,  or  were  of  scalloped 
mahogany — painted  white  or  black,  with  here  and  there  some 
touches  of  gold.  Every  householder  in  that  day,  deemed  it  es 
sential  to  his  convenience  and  comfort  to  have  an  ample  chest 
of  drawers,  in  his  parlor  or  sitting  room,  in  which  the  linen 
and  clothes  of  the  family  were  always  of  ready  access.  It 
was  no  sin  to  rummage  them  before  company.  These  draw 
ers  were  sometimes  nearly  as  high  as  the  ceiling.  At  other 
times  they  had  a  writing  desk  about  the  centre,  with  a  fall 
ing  lid  to  write  upon  when  let  down.  A  great  high  clock 
case  reaching  to  the  ceiling,  occupied  another  corner ;  and 
a  fourth  corner  was  appropriated  to  the  chimney  place. 
They  then  had  no  carpets  on  their  floors,  and  no  paper  on 
their  walls.  The  silver  sand  on  the  floor  was  drawn  into  a 
variety  of  fanciful  figures  and  twirls  of  the  sweeping  brush, 
and  much  skill  and  even  pride  was  displayed  therein  in  the 
devices  and  arrangement.  They  had  then  no  argand  or  other 
lamps  in  parlors,  but  dipt  candles,  in  brass  or  copper  candle 
sticks,  was  usually  good  enough  for  common  use  ;  and  those 
who  occasionally  used  mould  candles,  made  them  at  home  in 
little  tin  frames,  casting  four  to  six  candles  in  each.  A  glass 
lantern  with  square  sides  furnished  the  entry  lights  in  the 
houses  of  the  affluent.  Bedsteads  then  were  made,  if  fine, 
of  carved  mahogany,  of  slender  dimensions ;  but,  for  com 
mon  purposes,  or  for  the  families  of  good  tradesmen,  they 
were  of  poplar,  and  always  painted  green.  It  was  a  matter 
of  universal  concern  to  have  them  low  enough  to  answer  the 
purpose  of  repose  for  sick  or  dying  persons — a  provision  so 
necessary  for  such  possible  events,  now  so  little  regarded  by 
the  modern  practice  of  iscending  to  a  bed  by  steps,  like 
clambering  up  to  a  haymow. 

"  A  lady  giving  me  the  reminiscences  of  her  early  life, 
thus  speaks  of  things  as  they  were  before  the  war  of  Inde 
pendence  : — Marble  mantels  and  folding  doors  were  not  then 
known  ;  and  well  enough  we  enjoyed  ourselves  without  sofas, 
carpets  or  girandoles.  A  white  floor  sprinkled  with  clean 
white  sand,  large  tables  and  heavy  high  back  chairs  of  wal 
nut  or  mahogany,  decorated  a  parlor  genteely  enough  for  any 
body.  Sometimes  a  carpet,  not  however  covering  the  whole 
floor,  was  seen  upon  the  dining  room.  This  was  a  show 
parlor  up  stairs,  not  used  but  upon  gala  occasions,  and  then 
not  to  dine  in.  Pewter  plates  and  dishes  were  in  general 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  219 

NEW  YORK. 

use.  China  on  dinner  tables  was  a  great  rarity.  Plate, 
more  or  less,  was  seen  in  most  families  of  easy  circum 
stances,  not  indeed  in  all  the  various  shapes  that  have  since 
been  invented,  but  in  massive  silver  waiters,  bowls,  tankards, 
cans,  &,c.  Glass  tumblers  were  scarcely  seen.  Punch,  the 
most  common  beverage,  was  drunk  by  the  company  from  one 
large  bowl  of  silver  or  china;  and  beer  from  a  tankard  of 
silver. 

"  The  use  of  stoves  was  not  known  in  primitive  times, 
neither  in  families  nor  churches.  Their  fireplaces  were  as 
large  again  as  the  present,  with  much  plainer  mantel  pieces. 
In  lieu  of  marble  plates  around  the  sides  and  top  of  the  fire 
places,  it  was  adorned  with  china  Dutch  tile,  pictured  with 
sundry  Scripture  pieces.  Dr.  Franklin  first  invented  the 
'  open  stove,'  called  also  the  '  Franklin  stove,'  after  which  as 
fuel  became  scarce,  the  better  economy  of  the  '  ten  plate 
stove '  was  adopted. 

"  The  most  splendid  looking  carriage  ever  exhibited 
among  us  was  that  used,  as  befitting  the  character  of  that 
chief  of  men,  General  Washington,  while  acting  as  President 
of  the  United  States.  It  was  very  large,  so  as  to  make  four 
horses,  at  least,  an  almost  necessary  appendage.  It  was  oc 
casionally  drawn  by  six  horses,  Virginia  bays.  It  was  cream 
colored,  globular  in  its  shape,  ornamented  with  cupids,  sup 
porting  festoons,  and  wreaths  of  flowers,  emblematically  ar 
ranged  along  the  pannel  work  ; — the  whole  neatly  covered 
with  best  watch  glass.  It  was  of  English  construction. 

"  Some  twenty  or  thirty  years  before  the  period  of  the 
Revolution,  the  steeds  most  prized  for  the  saddle  were  pacers, 
since  so  odious  deemed.  To  this  end  the  breed  was  propa 
gated  with  much  care.  The  Narragansett  pacers  of  Rhode 
Island  were  in  such  repute,  that  they  were  sent  for,  at  much 
trouble  and  expense,  by  some  few,  who  were  choice  in  their 
selections.  It  may  amuse  the  present  generation  to  peruse 
the  history  of  one  such  horse,  spoken  of  in  the  letter  of 
Rip  Van  Dam  of  New  York,  in  the  year  1711,  which  I  have 
seen.  It  states  the  fact  of  the  trouble  he  had  taken  to  pro 
cure  him  such  a  horse.  He  was  shipped  from  Rhode  Island 
in  a  sloop,  from  which  he  jumped  overboard,  when  under  sail, 
and  swam  ashore  to  his  former  home.  He  arrived  at  New 
York  in  14  days'  passage,  much  reduced  in  flesh  and  spirit. 
He  cost  ,£32,  and  his  freight  50  shillings.  This  writer,  Rip 
Van  Dam,  was  a  great  personage,  he  having  been  President 


220  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


NEW   YOKK. 


of  the  Council  in  1731  ;  and  on  the  death  of  Governor  Mont 
gomery,  that  year,  he  was  governor  ex-officio,  of  New  York. 
His  mural  monument  is  now  to  be  seen  in  St.  Paul's 
Church."* 

When  the  Dutch  first  established  themselves  on  the  island, 
its  surface  presented  a  very  irregular  appearance.  In  some 
places,  the  ground  rose  into  craggy  hills;  in  other  parts  were 
low,  hollow  and  marshy  swamps.  By  great  labor  and  ex 
pense,  that  part  on  which  the  city  is  built  has  been  nearly 
levelled  and  the  marshes  filled  up.  In  1640,  New  York  was  a 
mere  village,  and  the  dwelling  houses  were  few,  low,  and  strag 
gling.  The  most  prominent  buildings  were  then,  according 
to  its  erudite  and  right  pleasant  historian  Diedrich  Knicker 
bocker,  "  the  Fort,  the  Church  of  St.  Nicholas,  the  Gaol,  the 
Governor's  house,  the  Gallows,  the  Pillory,  the  West  India 
Store,  and  the  City  Tavern,"  of  which  there  are  now  no  re 
mains. 

In  1665,  the  inhabitants  of  New  York  were  incorporated 
under  the  care  of  a  Mayor,  five  Aldermen,  and  a  Sheriff. 
Until  this  time  the  city  was  ruled  by  a  Scout,  Burgomasters, 
and  Schipens.  The  first  Mayor  after  the  conquest  was 
Thomas  Willet,  Esq.,  an  Englishman.  At  'the  time  of  the 
conquest  in  1664,  the  town  was  composed  of  a  few  miserable 
houses,  and  the  whole  in  such  a  mean  condition,  according 
to  a  letter  of  Nicholas  to  the  Duke  of  York,  that  not  one  sol 
dier  had  lain  in  sheets,  or  in  any  other  bed  than  canvass  and 
straw.  Some  of  the  houses,  however,  were  handsomely  built 
of  brick  and  stone,  and  in  part  covered  with  red  and  black 
tiles. 

In  1678,  the  houses,  according  to  Sir  Edmund  Andros, 
were  three  hundred  and  forty-three,  and  the  population,  as 
there  were  found  to  be  ten  on  an  average  for  each  house,  was 
3430  souls.  At  this  time,  a  merchant  worth  o£1000,  was  a 
good  substantial  merchant,  and  a  planter  worth  half  that  in 
moveables,  was  accounted  rich.  "  There  may  have  lately 
traded  in  that  colony,"  says  Andros,  "  in  a  year,  from  ten  to 
fifteen  ships  or  vessels,  upon  an  average  of  100  tons  each, 
English,  New  England,  and  of  our  own  built." 

In  1686,  the  city  was  first  regularly  incorporated  by  a  char 
ter.  The  shipping  belonging  to  the  city  had  increased  to 
nine  or  ten  three  mast  vessels  of  about  80  or  90  tons  ;  200  or 

*  Watson's  Historic  Tales  of  Olden  Time. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  221 


NEW    YORK. 


300  ketches  or  barks  of  about  40  tons,  and  about  20  sloops 
of  25  tons. 

In  1693,  the  first  printing  press  was  erected  in  the  city,  by 
William  Bradford,  who  was  appointed  printer  to  the  govern 
ment.  The  first  book  from  his  press  was  a  small  folio  vol 
ume  of  the  Laws  of  the  Colony. 

In  1693,  the  city  contained  594  houses,  and  6000  inhab 
itants.  The  shipping  consisted  of  40  ships,  62  sloops,  and 
60  boats.* 

Nearly  a  century  from  the  above  date,  or  in  1790,  the  in 
habitants  were  only  about  33,000,  including  more  than  2000 
slaves. 

From  the  preceding  facts,  it  is  quite  apparent  that  for  a 
series  of  years,  the  city  of  New  York  was  surprisingly  slow  in 
its  growth  ;  but  by  a  settlement  of  the  interior  of  the  State, 
and  the  opening  of  the  navigation  of  the  great  Lakes,  it  has, 
within  a  few  years,  received  an  impulse,  which,  added  to  the 
other  advantages,  has  established  its  present  and  secured  its 
future  pre-eminence.  The  population  of  the  city,  1850,  is 
515,507,  more  than  fifteen  times  what  it  was  in  1790.  At  the 
same  time,  the  annual  increase  of  its  commerce  is  so  great,  that 
statements  made  in  respect  to  it  in  any  one  year  would  be 
found  exceedingly  defective  the  year  succeeding.  Let  this  be 
our  apology  for  omitting  such  statistics,  in  relation  to  this  and 
other  subjects  bearing  upon  the  growth  of  this  "  London  of 
America."  It  may  be  added,  also,  in  this  place,  that  so  many 
pages  have  been  devoted  to  the  earlier  history  of  the  city,  that 
our  allotted  space  will  require  a  somewhat  partial  view  of  New 
York  as  it  now  is. 

The  Hudson,  or  North  river,  flows  by  the  city  on  the 
western  side  ;  a  narrow  part  of  Long  Island  Sound  familiarly 
termed  the  E;ist  river,  washes  it  upon  the  other  ;  while  in 
front,  a  noble  bay  expands  between  the  shores  of  Long 
Island  and  New  Jersey,  in  which  the  united  navies  of  the 
world  might  spread  their  canvass.  Below  the  bay  are  the 
N  irrows,  formed  by  the  heights,  which  jut  forward  with  a 
fine  sweeping  bend,  giving  a  circular  form  to  the  magnificent 
basin,  and  facilitating  the  defence  of  the  harbor.  At  various 
points  above  and  below  them  are  forts,  of  such  imposing 

*  Holmes's  Annals,  passim. 


222  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


NEW    YORK. 


strength,  that  it  seems  impossible  that  any  naval  armament 
can  reach  the  city,  unless  with  the  co-operation  of  a  power 
ful  land  force.  Ice  very  rarely,  now,  obstructs  the  naviga 
tion  ;  and  about  twenty  miles  from  the  city,  the  Atlantic 
opens  to  the  vessels,  without  a  rock  or  island  to  annoy 
them. 

"  Approaching  the  city  at  sunset,"  says  a  traveller,  "  I 
shall  not  soon  forget  the  impression,  which  its  gay  appear 
ance  made  upon  me.  Passing  slowly  round  its  southern 
point,  formed  by  the  confluence  of  the  Hudson  with  what 
is  called  the  East  river,  we  admired  at  our  leisure  the  striking 
panorama  which  encircled  us.  Immediately  in  our  front, 
was  the  battery,  with  its  little  fort  and  its  public  walks,  di 
versified  with  trees,  impending  over  the  water,  numberless 
well  dressed  figures  gliding  through  the  foliage,  or  standing 
to  admire  our  Hearing  vessel.  In  the  back  ground,  the  neat 
ly  painted  houses,  receding  into  distance  ;  the  spiry  tops 
of  poplars  piercing  above  the  roofs,  and  marking  the  line  of 
the  streets.  The  city  gradually  enlarging  from  the  battery, 
as  from  the  apex  of  a  triangle,  the  eye  followed,  on  one  side, 
the  broad  channel  of  the  Hudson  and  picturesque  coast  ot 
Jersey,  at  first  sprinkled  with  villages  and  little  villas,  their 
white  walls  just  glancing  in  the  distance  through  thick  beds 
of  trees,  and  afterwards  rising  into  abrupt  precipices,  now 
crowned  with  wood,  now  jutting  forward  in  bare  walls  of 
rock.  To  the  right,  the  more  winding  waters  of  the  East 
river,  bounded,  on  the  one  side  by  the  wooded  heights  of 
Brooklyn  and  the  varied  shores  of  Long  Island,  and  on  the 
other,  by  quays  and  warehouses,  scarcely  discernible  through 
the  forest  of  masts,  that  were  covered,  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach.  Behind  us  stretched  the  broad  expanse  of  the 
bay,  whose  islets,  crowned  with  turreted  forts,  their  colors 
streaming  from  their  flagstaff's,  slept  on  the  still  and  glowing 
waters,  in  dark  or  sunny  spots,  as  they  variously  caught  or 
shunned  the  gaze  of  the  sinking  sun.  It  was  a  glorious 
scene,  and  we  almost  caught  the  enthusiasm  of  our  compan 
ions,  who,  as  they  hailed  their  native  city,  pronounced  it  the 
fairest  in  the  world."* 

"  The  harbor  of  New  York,"  says  another  traveller,  to 
whom  we  are  indebted  for  the  most  distinct  description  of 
this  city,  "  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  country,  and  capable  of 

*  Views  of  Society  in  America. 


224  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


WKW     YORK 


almost  unlimited  extension.  The  wharfs  skirt  both  sides  of 
the  island,  and  piers  project  at  right  angles  into  the 
stream,  leaving  intermediate  slips,  which  have  many  of  the 
advantages  of  wet  docks,  and  are  free  from  several  of  their  in 
conveniences. 

"  The  tides  rise  and  fall  about  six  feet,  but  there  is  always 
water  enough  abreast  of  the  piers  to  float  the  largest  merchant 
men.  They  do  not,  however,  enjoy  the  advantage  of  dry 
docks,  for  the  tide  does  not  ebb  sufficiently  to  empty  them,  and 
mechanical  means  have  not  yet  been  resorted  to;  but  vessels 
which  need  repair,  are  keeled  down  in  shallow  water,  first  upon 
the  one  side,  and  then  upon  the  other.  Masts  surround  the 
city  like  reeds  on  the  margin  of  a  pool;  and  when  one  passes 
along  the  wharfs,  and  witnesses  th*1  never  ceasing  opera 
tions  of  loading  and  discharging,  warping  out  and  hauling  in, 
vessels  of  every  description  arriving  and  sailing  with  every 
breeze  that  blows,  together  with  the  bustling  of  shippers, 
custom  house  officers,  sailors  and  carmen,  he  cannot  but  be  im 
pressed  with  the  great  extent  of  the  commerce  which  can  sup 
ply  such  extensive  means  with  such  unceasing  employment."* 

While  nature  has  done  much  for  this  city  in  regard  to  its 
pleasant  and  advantageous  situation,  art  has  done  its  propor 
tion  in  the  way  of  ornamental  architecture.  There  are  some 
fine  buildings,  but  excepting  the  City  Hall,  there  are  few  which 
merit  particular  notice.  "  The  streets  in  the  lower  and  older 
p'irt  of  the  city,"  says  Mr.  Duncan,  "  are  very  narrow  and 
crooked,  and,  what  is  more  immediately  inexcusable,  are 
kept  in  very  bad  order.  Garbage  and  litter  of  almost  every 
kind  are  thrown  out  upon  the  pavement,  where  a  multitude 
of  hogs  of  all  ages  riot  in  abundance.  The  footwalks  are 
encumbered  with  projecting  steps  and  cellar  doors,  lamp 
posts,  purapwells,  and  occasionally  poplar  trees  ;  and  where 
any  open  space  occurs,  b  irrels,  p  icking  boxes,  and  wheel 
barrows,  are  not  (infrequently  piled  up.  No  town  affords 
greater  facilities  for  subterraneous  drains,  for  the  ground 
slopes  on  both  sides  from  the  centre  to  the  water  ;  and  no 
town  that  1  ever  saw,  stands  in  so  much  need  of  them.  The 
more  modern  streets  are  greatly  superior  in  every  respect ; 
they  are  in  general  wide  and  straight,  and  the  footwalks  are 
comparatively  free  from  projections  and  encumbrances." 

*  Duncan's  Travels,  vol.  1.  p.  29. 


IN   NORTH    AMERICA.  225 


NEW     YORK. 


The  city  is  lighted  throughout,  but  indifferently,  except  in 
the  principal  streets  ;  in  many  places  the  feeble  glimmerings 
of  the  solitary  oil  lamp  struggle  past  two  stately  trees,  which 
stand  like  sentinels  to  defend  it. 

"  Broadway,  the  principal  street,  runs  in  a  straight  line 
from  the  battery  to  its  extremity  in  Bloorningdale  road.  It 
measures  three  miles  in  length,  and  is  about  eighty  feet  in 
width.  It  occupies  in  general  the  highest  part  on  which  the 
city  stands,  and  lor  two  miles  it  is  compactly  built ;  the  houses 
are  chiefly  brick,  but  there  is  still  a  considerable  mixture  of 
wooden  ones. 

"  The  early  Dutch  settlers,"  continues  Mr.  Duncan,  "  im 
ported  bricks  from  Holland  to  construct  their  dwellings;  and 
a  few  of  these  houses  still  remain.  They  are  one  story  in 
height,  with  the  gable  end  to  the  street,  and  a  little  iron 
weathercock  perched  upon  the  top  of  it.  The  British  set 
tlers  laid  the  surrounding  forests  under  contribution  for 
building  materials  ;  and  a  considerable  proportion  of  the  older 
part  of  the  city  is  still  constructed  of  wood.  Frequent  and 
destructive  fires  were  the  natural  consequence  of  this  sys 
tem  ;  and  these  are,  still,  every  winter,  grubbing  out  a  few 
of  the  remaining  wooden  tenements.  The  erection  of  wood 
en  houses  is  now  prohibited,  and  the  brick  ones  which  suc 
ceed  them  are  built  with  great  neatness.  The  bricks  are 
made  of  very  fine  clay,  which  affords  a  very  close  and  smooth 
grain;  and  the  buildings  are  always  showily  painted,  either 
of  a  bright  red  with  white  lines  upon  the  seams,  or  of  a  clean 
looking  yellow.  In  many  of  the  more  recent  ones,  the  lin 
tels  and  steps  are  of  marble.  Stone  buildings  are  very 
rare." 

The  City  Hall,  which  stands  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Park,  a  triangular  enclosure  in  the  centre  of  the  city,  is  a 
splendid  edifice,  almost  entirely  of  white  marble.  It  is  216 
feet  long,  and  105  broad.  The  architecture,  however,  is 
thought  by  many  to  be  faulty.  The  internal  arrangement  is 
inconvenient;  the  basement  story,  which  is  of  red  freestone, 
impairs  the  simplicity  and  gives  it  a  patched  and  party-col 
ored  appearance.  The  building  is  an  oblong  square,  with 
projecting  wings,  two  stories  in  height  beside  the  base 
ment  ;  with  a  portico  of  half  the  height  between  the  wings, 

15 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  227 


NEW  YORK. 


and  a  kind  of  lantern  dome,  supporting  a  figure  of  justice. 
The  portico  consists  of  sixteen  Ionic  columns,  springing 
from  a  handsome  flight  of  steps,  but  unhappily  surmounted 
with  a  balustraded  balcony  in  place  of  a  pediment.  In  the 
front,  there  are  no  fewer  than  between  sixty  and  seventy 
windows  :  some  of  them  flat,  and  others  arched,  and  a  few 
with  intervening  Corinthian  pilasters.  The  prevailing  de 
fect  is  the  absence  of  simplicity  and  grandeur.  The  por 
tico,  in  relation  to  the  building,  is  exceeding  dwarfish  ;  and 
the  windows,  with  their  minute  ornaments,  break  down  the 
whole  into  too  much  detail ;  the  injudicious  use  of  red  stone 
also,  in  the  basement  story,  materially  diminishes  the  apparent 
height.  The  principal  entrance  is  by  the  portico  in  front :  with 
in  is  a  handsome  lobby,  with  a  marble  stair  of  elegant  propor 
tions,  leading  to  the  second  story;  and  from  a  circular  railed 
gallery  at  the  landing  place  ten  marble  columns  arise,  support 
ing  the  dome.  The  apartments  of  the  building  are  appropri 
ated  to  the  use  of  the  Common  Council  of  the  city,  and  the 
different  Courts  of  Law.  The  chair  occupied  by  the  Mayor 
in  the  Council-room,  is  the  same  in  which  Washington  sat, 
when  presiding  at  the  first  Congress  of  the  United  States  ; 
and  a  full  length  portrait  of  this  great  man,  with  those  of 
some  others  of  the  Revolutionary  chiefs,  adorn  the  walls. 
In  the  other  rooms,  there  is  a  profusion  of  portraits  of  offi 
cers  who  distinguished  themselves  during  the  recent  conflict. 
It  is  remarkable,  that  in  this  building  there  is  no  room  at  all 
adapted  for  the  purpose  of  a  popular  meeting. 

It  is  impossible,  within  the  compass  of  a  few  pages,  to  give 
the  reader  any  adequate  idea  of  the  city — so  numerous  are 
its  objects  of  interest  and  curiosity.  We  can  only  glance  at 
a  few  of  the  more  prominent. 

Among  the  more  important  public  grounds,  we  may  mention 
the  Battery,  a  favorite  promenade,  lying  in  the  form  of  a  cres 
cent,  containing  11  acres,  beautifully  laid  out  with  green  plots 
and  gravelled  walks.  It  commands  a  view  of  the  noble  bay, 
with  its  islands,  and  the  adjacent  shores  of  New  Jersey  and 
Long  and  Staten  Islands.  Castle  Garden  is  built  on  a  mole, 
and  is  connected  with  the  battery  by  a  bridge.  The  Bowling 
Green,  at  the  Southern  termination  of  Broadway,  is  an  ellip 
tical  area,  220  feet  long  and  140  feet  broad,  inclosed  by  an 
iron  fence.  It  was  established  before  the  American  revolu- 


228  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


NEW  YORK. 


tion ;  and  formerly  contained  a  leaden  statue  of  George  III., 
which  was  converted  into  bullets  during  that  period,  and  its 
place  is  now  occupied  by  a  romantic  fountain,  supplied  by 
the  Croton  water-works.  The  Park,  called  in  early  times  the 
Commons,  is  a  triangular  area,  of  about  10  3-4  acres,  and 
within  it  are  the  City  Hall,  the  old  Alms-house  buildings,  and 
a  Rotundo,  the  latter  formerly  occupied  by  the  post  office,  but 
now  used  as  a  place  of  exhibition  by  the  Academy  of  Fine 
Arts.  Towards  the  lower  end  of  the  Park  is  a  public  fount 
ain,  the  water  of  which,  when  thrown  in  a  single  stream,  as 
cends  to  the  height  of  about  70  feet.  Hudson  Square,  or  St. 
John's  Park,  is  private  property,  belonging  to  Trinity  Church 
corporation  ;  it  contains  four  acres ;  has  a  public  fountain ; 
and  is  perhaps  the  most  ornamental  spot  in  the  city.  Union 
Square,  at  the  northern  extremity  of  Broadway,  has  a  fine  iron 
fence  around  it,  and  a  handsome  fountain  near  its  centre. 

New  York  has  some  superb  public  buildings.  We  have 
already  spoken  of  the  City  Hall.  The  Merchants1  Exchange 
would  be  perhaps  equally  imposing  with  that,  had  it  an  equally 
imposing  situation.  It  covers  the  whole  space  between  Wall, 
William,  Exchange,  and  South  William  streets,  and  is  built 
of  blue  Quincy  granite.  The  cost  of  this  building,  including 
the  ground,  is  estimated  at  $1,800,000.  The  Custom  House 
is  a  splendid  building,  constructed  in  the  Doric  order  of  Gre 
cian  architecture.  It  stands  at  the  head  of  Broad  street,  front 
ing  on  Wall,  and  extending  along  Nassau  to  Pine  street,  oc 
cupying  the  site  of  the  old  Federal  Hall,  in  which  General 
Washington  was  inaugurated.  It  cost,  with  the  ground  and 
furniture.  $1,175,000.  The  Halls  of  Justice  occupies  the 
whole  space  between  Centre,  Elm,  Leonard,  and  Franklin 
streets,  and  is  a  unique  and  beautiful  building,  of  Egyptian 
architecture.  This  building,  though  handsome  of  its  kind, 
has  a  heavy  and  gloomy  aspect,  which  has  acquired  for  it  the 
name  of  the  Egyptian  Tombs.  It  is  constructed  of  a  light- 
coloured  granite  from  Hallowell,  Maine. 

The  number  of  churches  in  New  York  is  about  200,  not  a 
few  of  which  are  beautiful  and  costly  structures.  The  most 
expensive  is  Trinily  Church,  at  the  head  of  Wall  street,  front 
ing  on  Broadway:  it  is  193  feet  on  the  outside,  84  feet  wide, 
with  a  spire  2G4  feel  high ;  and  the  interior  is  finished  in  a 
style  of  great  magnificence.  After  Trinity,  Grace  Church, 
nearly  two  miles  and  a  half  north,  is  perhaps  the  most  splen 
did,  belonging  to  the  Episcopalians  ;  St.  Paul's,  in  Broadway 


TRINITY  CHURCH. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  231 

NEW  YORK. 

and  St.  John's,  in  Varick  street,  are,  however,  imposing  edi 
fices.  The  Unitarians  have  two  elegant  Gothic  structures  in 
Broadway — the  "Church  of  the  Messiah,"  between  Fourth 
and  Fifth  streets,  and  the  "Church  of  the  Divine  Unity,"  be 
tween  Spring  and  Prince  streets — besides  three  less  pretend 
ing  edifices  in  other  sections  of  the  city.  The  Roman  Cath 
olics  have  likewise  several  fine  churches  or  chapels.  Of  the 
Presbyterian  churches,  though  many  of  them  are  peculiarly 
neat  and  convenient,  few  of  them  have  any  thing  imposing  in 
their  external  appearance. — Perhaps  there  is  no  circumstance 
that  more  strikingly  sh6ws  the  progress  of  the  population 
towards  the  northern  part  of  the  city,  than  the  removal  of 
churches  ;  but  few  being  now  standing  below  the  Citv  Hall. 

New  York  contains  several  important  literary  institutions. 
The  oldest  is  Columbia  College,  which  was  chartered  in  1754 
by  George  II.  The  college  edifice  is  situated  on  a  beautiful 
square,  between  Chapel,  Church,  and  Murray  streets.  The 
funds  are  about  $200,000,  and  the  income  between  $7,000 
and  $8,000 :  its  libraries  contain  about  14,000  volumes. — The 
University  of  the  City  of  New  York  stands  on  Washington 
square,  and  has  a  fine  edifice  of  white  marble,  in  the*  Gothic 
style  of  English  collegiate  architecture,  which  makes  a  very 
picturesque  appearance.  It  was  founded  in  1831. — To  the 
foregoing  we  may  add  the  General  Theological  Seminary  of 
the  Episcopal  Church,  the  New  York  Theological  Seminary, 
and  the  Rutgers  Female  Institute  ;  all  of  which  are  flourishing 
institutions,  but  we  cannot  give  them  a  particular  description. 
There  are  numerous  other  similar  establishments,  which  are 
proof  of  the  enterprise  and  benevolence  of  the  citizens:  such 
as  the  New  York  Hospital,  the  Eye  Infirmary,  the  Lunatic 
Asylum,  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  Asylum,  the  Institution  for  the 
Blind,  &c. 

The  New  York  Society  Library  is  an  old  institution,  founded 
in  1754,  and  has  a  handsome  edifice  on  Broadway.  Its  library 
contains  nearly  40,000  volumes,  and  is  open  daily. — The  His 
torical  Society  has  a  library  of  12,000  volumes,  located  in  the 
University. — Clinton  Hall  Association,  founded  in  1830,  owns 
the  hall,  corner  of  Beekman  arid  Nassau  streets,  containing 
the  Mercantile  Library,  designed  for  the  benefit  of  Merchants' 
Clerks,  and  comprising  more  than  20,000  vols. — The  Appren 
tices'  Library  contains  12,000  vols. — Besides  these,  there  are 
many  others,  of  less  importance. 

The  city  participates  in  the  munificent  fund  of  the  State, 


232  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


NKW   YORK. 


appropriated  to  the  advancement  of  common  education,  and 
numerous  public  schools,  under  the  superintendence  of  able 
and  experienced  teachers,  are  located  in  different  sections, 
well  calculated  to  diffuse  their  benefits  among  all  classes  of 
the  inhabitants. 

Of  all  the  public  works  undertaken  by  the  city,  the  most 
splendid  and  expensive  is  the  Croton  Waterworks.  It  was  at 
first  estimated  that  it  would  cost  between  five  and  six  millions 
of  dollars;  and  at  the  city  charter  election  of  1835,  the  citi 
zens  were  required  to  vote  for  or  against  the  enterprise.  The 
whole  number  of  votes  given  was  17,330,  of  which  5,963 
were  against  it,  and  11,367  in  favor  of  it.  It  was  happy  that 
the  cost  was  not  exactly  foreknown ;  otherwise  the  plan  would 
probably  have  failed.  But,  its  advantages  having  been  expe 
rienced,  few,  if  any  regret  its  construction,  although  it  has 
cost  the  city  about  812,000,000.  The  aqueduct  commences 
at  the  Croton  river,  five  miles  from  Hudson  river,  in  West- 
chester  county.  The  dam  is  250  feet  long ;  70  feet  wide  at 
the  bottom,  7  feet  at  the  top,  and  40  feet  high,  built  of  stone 
and  cement.  It  creates  a  pond  5  miles  long,  covering  a  sur 
face  of  400  acres.  From  the  dam  the  aqueduct  proceeds  to 
Harlem  river,  a  distance  of  33  miles ;  it  is  built  of  stone, 
brick,  and  cement ;  arched  over  and  under ;  6  feet  3  inches 
wide  at  the  bottom,  7  feet  8  inches  at  the  top  of  the  side-walls, 
and  8  feet  5  inches  high.  It  has  a  descent  of  13  1-4  inches 
per  mile,  and  will  discharge  60,000,000  of  gallons  in  24  hours. 
It  crosses  Harlem  river  on  a  magnificent  stone  bridge,  1,450 
feet  long,  with  15  piers,  eight  of  them  80  feet  span,  and  seven 
of  50  feet  span,  114  feet  above  tide-water  to  the  top.  The 
receiving  reservoir  is  at  80th  street,  38  miles  from  the  Croton 
dam,  covering  35  acres,  and  containing  150,000,000  of  gallons. 
The  water  is  conveyed  to  the  distributing  reservoir  on  Mur 
ray's  hill,  in  iron  pipes ;  this  reservoir  covers  4  acres,  and  is 
constructed  of  stone  and  cement ;  it  is  43  feet  high  above  the 
street,  and  holds  20,000,000  of  gallons.  Thence  the  water  is 
conveyed  to  every  part  of  the  city  in  iron  pipes,  laid  beneath 
the  ground.  There  are  several  beautiful  fountains  supplied 
from  this  source,  which  are  both  useful  and  ornamental. 

New  York  will  compare  favorably,  in  regard  to  health, 
with  any  city  of  its  size  in  the  world ;  its  situation  giving  it 
many  advantages  for  salubrity  of  air  and  cleanliness. 

The  average  temperature  of  the  city  throughout  the  year 
is  stated  at  55"  of  Fah.  In  winter,  the  thermometer  is  rarely 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  233 


NEW  YORK. 


lower  than  15  or  20  degrees  below  the  freezing  point;  some 
times  the  mercury  falls  to  zero,  and  it  has  been  observed  at 
from  two  to  six  degrees  below  it.  The  temperature  of  the 
summer  is  seldom  higher  than  80  or  84  degrees.  However, 
the  changes  are  frequent,  and  often  great. 

There  are  25  banks  in  the  city,  with  an  aggregate  capital 
of  nearly  $28,000,000 ;  22  fire  insurance  companies,  with  a 
capital  of  about  $6,000,000  ;  several  marine  insurance  com 
panies,  with  a  capital  of  about  $3,000,000 ;  4  savings'  banks ; 
15  markets  ;  6  theatres  ;  2  opera-houses  ;  an  amphitheatre  ; 
and  a  very  extensive  museum,  embracing  upwards  of  five 
hundred  thousand  natural  and  artificial  curiosities,  collected 
from  every  region  of  the  known  world. 

Morse  describes  New  York,  forty  years  ago,  as  "  the 
gayest  place  in  America."  "  The  ladies,"  he  says,  "  in  the 
richness  and  brilliancy  of  their  dress,  are  not  equalled  in  any 
city  of  the  United  States,  not  even  in  Charleston,  which  has 
heretofore  been  called  the  centre  of  the  beau  monde.  In 
point  of  sociability  and  hospitality,"  he  adds,  "  New  York 
is  hardly  exceeded  by  any  town  "  in  the  Union.  With  re 
gard  to  their  love  of  literature,  and  their  patronage  of  the 
arts  and  sciences,  inquiries  could  not  then  be  answered  quite 
satisfactorily.  Dr.  Dwight  bears  a  similar  testimony  to  the 
hospitality,  by  which  its  inhabitants  are  distinguished.  "  Ta 
bles  are  spread  here,"  he  says,  "  with  a  luxury,  that  must,  I 
think,  satisfy  the  demands  of  any  epicure.  The  economy 
of  the  inhabitants  is,  I  think,  less  remarkable  and  less  uni 
versal  than  their  industry.  The  furniture  and  carriages  of 
many  of  the  inhabitants  are  rich  and  beautiful.  Until  lately 
almost  all  the  coaches  were  private  property.  Hackney 
coaches  are  now  employed  in  considerable  numbers.  The 
general  attachment  to  learning  is  less  vigorous  in  this  city 
than  in  Boston,  commerce  having  originally  taken  a  more 
entire  possession  of  the  minds  of  its  inhabitants.  The  charac 
ter  of  New  York,  however,  has  for  some  time  been  materially 
changing  in  this  respect.  Wealth,  also,  in  a  much  higher 
degree  than  good  sense  can  justify,  is  considered  as  con 
ferring  importance  and  distinction  on  the  owners." 

The   languages    spoken   in    this   city    are    very   various. 
When  passing  through  the  streets,  you  will  hear  English, 


234  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


NEW  YORK. 


French,  Dutch,  and  German,  and  all  the  various  brogues 
spoken  by  the  numerous  nations,  when  imperfectly  acquaint 
ed  with  the  English  tongue.  It  is  computed,  that  one  third 
of  the  inhabitants  are  either  natives  of  New  England,  or  de 
scend  unts  of  tjiose  who  have  emigrated  from  the  northern 
States.  Not  more  than  a  third  of  the  population  is,  strictly 
speaking,  native  to  this  State  ;  and  the  proportion  of  Euro 
peans  of  various  nations  is  probably  larger  than  in  any  other 
city  in  the  Union. 

According  to  Mr.  Cooper,  the  "products  of  nature" 
abound  in  the  markets  in  New  York,  and  are  quite  equal  and 
in  some  articles  superior  to  those  which  are  found  even  in 
the  capital  of  France  itself.  "  It  is  difficult,"  he  says,  "  to 
name  fish,  fowl,  or  beast,  that  is  not, in  its  proper  person,  or 
in  some  species  nearly  allied  to  it,  to  be  obtained  in  the 
markets  in  New  York.  Of  fish  alone,  a  gentleman  has  named 
between  70  and  80  varieties,  all  of  which  are  edible  and 
most  of  which  are  excellent.  Of  fowls  there  is  a  great  va 
riety.  I  have  had  a  list,  nearly  or  quite  as  long  as  the  cata 
logue  of  fishes,  placed  before  me,  and  it  would  do  your  di 
gestive  powers  good  to  hear  some  of  the  semi-barbarous 
epicures  of  this  provincial  town  expatiate  on  the  merits  of 
grouse,  canvasbacks,  brants,  plover,  wild  turkeys,  and  all 
the  ct  caitcras  of  the  collection.  In  respect  to  the  more  vul 
gar  products  of  regular  agriculture,  I  shall  say  nothing.  They 
are  to  be  found  here,  as  elsewhere,  with  the  exception,  that, 
as  a  great  deal  is  still  left  to  nature,  perfection  and  variety  in 
vegetables  is  not  as  much  attended  to  as  in  the  vicinity  of 
older  and  larger  places.  But  of  the  game,  I  may  speak  with 
confidence  ;  for,  little  as  I  have  yet  seen  of  it,  at  this  particu 
lar  season,  one  mouthful  is  sufficient  to  prove  that  there  is  a 
difference  between  a  partridge  and  a  hen,  greater  than  what 
is  demonstrated  by  the  single  fact  that  one  sleeps  on  a  roost, 
and  the  other  in  a  tree." 

"Of  the  fruits,"  continues  Mr.  Cooper,  "I  can  speak  of 
my  own  knowledge.  The  situation  of  New  York  is  singu 
larly  felicitous  in  this  respect.  In  consequence  of  the  great 
range  of  the  thermometer,  there  is  scarce  a  fruit,  which  will 
endure  the  frost,  that  is  not  found  in  a  state  nearly  approach 
ing  to  perfection.  Indeed,  either  owing  to  the  freshness  of 
the  soil,  or  to  the  genial  influence  of  the  sun,  or  to  both, 
there  is  an  extraordinary  flavor  imparted  to  most  of  the  ani 
mal  and  vegetable  food  which  I  have  tasted.  In  short,  so 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  235 


NEW  YORK. 


far  as  my  observation  has  extended,  the  sun  imparts  a  flavor 
to  every  grass,  plant,  or  fruit  here,  that  must  be  tasted, 
and  tasted  with  discrimination,  in  order  to  be  appreciated. 
Yet  man  has  done  but  little  to  improve  these  inestimable 
advantages.  There  is  no  extraordinary  show  of  fruits  in  the 
public  market-places.  Peaches,  cherries,  melons,  and  a  few 
others  of  the  common  sorts,  it  is  true,  abound ;  but  the 
Americans  appear  not  to  be  disposed  to  make  much  sacrifice 
of  time,  or  money,  to  the  cultivation  of  the  rarer  sorts. 

"  I  cannot  close  this  subject,  however,  without  making  one 
remark  on  the  nature  of  a  peculiar  difference  that  I  have 
noticed  between  the  fruits  of  this  country,  and  those  of  your 
own  capital  in  particular.  A  French  peach  is  juicy,  and, 
when  you  first  bring  it  in  contact  with  your  palate,  sweet,  but 
it  leaves  behind  it  a  cold,  watery,  and  almost  sour  taste.  It 
is  for  this  reason  so  often  eaten  with  sugar.  An  American 
is  exceedingly  apt  to  laugh,  if  he  sees  ripe  fruit  of  any  sort 
eaten  with  any  thing  sweet.  The  peaches  here  leave  behind 
a  warm,  rich,  arid  delicious  taste.  You, who,  as  a  Parisian, 
say  so  much  for,  and  think  so  much  of,  your  gout,  may  be 
disposed  to  be  incredulous,  when  I  tell  you  these  people 
would  positively  reject  the  best  melon  that  ever  appears  on 
your  table.  There  is  a  little  one, to  be  picked  up  in  the  mar 
kets  here  for  a  few  sous,  say  twelve  at  the  utmost,  that  ex 
ceeds  any  thing  of  its  kind,  that  I  have  admitted  into  the 
sanctuary  of  my  mouth.  I  want  terms  to  describe  it.  It  is 
firm,  and  yet  tender;  juicy,  without  a  particle  of  the  cold 
watery  taste  we  know,  and  of  an  incomparable  flavor  and 
sweetness.  Its  equal  can  only  be  found  in  the  Crimea,  or 
the  adjacent  parts  of  Turkey,  and  perhaps  in  Persia.  The 
Americans  admit  that  it  is  the  only  melon  that  can  appear 
on  the  table  of  one  who  understands  the  difference  between 
eating  and  tasting,  and  to  me  it  seems  to  have  been  especially 
created  for  an  epicure.  In  the  gardens  of  the  gentlemen 
you  find  not  only  a  greater  variety,  but,  a  few  common  fruits 
excepted,  a  far  better  quality  than  in  the  markets.  I  have 
tasted  a  great  many  old  acquaintances,  transplanted  from  the 
eastern  to  the  western  hemisphere,  and  I  declare  I  do  not  re 
member  one  that  has  not  been  benefitted  by  the  change,  in 
flavor,  though  not  always  in  appearance. 

"Owing  to  the  facility  and  constancy  of  intercourse  with 
the  Southern  States,  the  fruits  of  the  tropics  are  found  here, 
not  quite  as  fresh,  certainly,  as  when  first  culled  from  the 


236  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


NEW  YORK. 


plant  itself,  but  well  flavored,  and  in  absolute  contact  with 
the  products  of  the  temperate  zones.  Pine-apples,  large, 
rich,  golden,  and  good,  are  sold  from  twelve  to  twenty-five 
sous ;  delicious  oranges  are  hawked  in  the  streets  much 
cheaper  than  a  tolerable  apple  can  be  bought  in  the  shops  of 
Paris,  and  bannanas,  yams,  watermelons,  &,c.  are  as  common 
as  need  be  in  the  markets.  It  is  this  extraordinary  combina 
tion  of  the  effects  of  different  climates,  the  union  of  heat 
and  cold,  and  of  commercial  facilities,  added  to  the  rare 
bounties  of  nature,  that  incline  me  to  think  the  empire  of 
gastronomy  will,  sooner  or  later,  be  transferred  to  this  spot. 
At  present  it  must  be  confessed  that  the  science  is  lament 
ably  defective,  and,  after  all,  perhaps,  it  is  in  those  places 
where  nature  has  been  most  liberal  that  man  is  apt  to  content 
himself,  without  which  no  perfect  enjoyment  in  any  branch 
of  human  indulgence  can  exist. 

"  Passing  from  the  means  of  gratification  possessed  by 
these  people,  we  will  turn  our  attention,  for  a  moment,  to 
the  manner  in  which  they  are  improved.  The  style  of  living 
of  all  the  Americans,  in  the  Northern  States,  is  essentially 
English.  As  might  be  expected  in  a  country  where  labor  is 
comparatively  high,  and  the  fortunes,  though  great,  still  not 
often  so  princely  as  in  the  mother  country,  the  upper  classes 
live  in  a  more  simple  form,  wanting  some  of  the  most  refined 
improvements  of  high  English  life,  and  yet  indulging,  under 
favor  of  their  climate,  situation,  and  great  commercial  free 
dom,  in  perhaps  a  greater  combination  of  luxury  and  comfort 
than  any  other  people  of  the  world.  In  respect  to  comfort 
itself  there  is  scarce  any  known  in  England,  that  is  not  to  be 
found  here  ;  the  point  of  difference  is  in  its  frequency.  You 
are,  therefore,  to  deduct  rather  in  the  amount  of  English 
comfort,  than  in  its  quality;  and  you  are  not  to  descend  far 
below  the  refinements  at  all,  since  all  the  substantial  of  that 
comfort,  which  makes  England  so  remarkable  in  Europe,  are 
to  be  found  equally  in  America.  There  are  points,  perhaps, 
even  in  the  latter,  in  which  the  Englishman  (rarely  very 
much  disposed  to  complacency)  would  complain  in  America; 
and  there  are,  certainly,  others,  on  which  the  American 
(who  has  a  cast  of  the  family  likeness)  would  boldly  vent  his 
spleen  in  England.  I  am  of  opinion  the  two  nations  might 
benefit  a  good  deal  by  a  critical  examination  of  each  other. 
Indeed,  I  think  the  American  has,  and  does,  daily  profit  by 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  237 


NEW  YORK. 


his  observation,  though  I  scarce  know  whether  his  kinsman 
is  yet  disposed  to  admit  that  he  can  learn  by  the  study  of  a 
people  so  new,  so  remote,  and  so  little  known,  as  those  of  the 
United  States. 

"  After  you  descend  below  the  middle  classes  in  society, 
there  is  no  comparison  to  be  drawn  between  the  condition  of 
the  American  and  that  of  the  native  of  England,  or  of  any 
other  place.  I  have  seen  misery  here,  it  is  true,  and  filth, 
and  squalid,  abject  poverty,  always  in  the  cities,  however ; 
but  it  is  rare  ;  that  is,  rare,  indeed,  to  what  I  have  been  ac 
customed  to  see  in  Europe.  At  first,  I  confess  there  was  a 
feeling  of  disappointment  came  over  me  at  seeing  it  at  all ; 
but  reflection  convinced  me  of  the  impossibility  of  literally 
bringing  all  men  to  a  state  in  which  they  might  profit  by  the 
advantages  of  their  condition.  Cadwallader,  also,  who  has 
a  silent,  significant  manner  of  conveying  truths,  has  unde 
ceived  me  more  than  once,  when  I  have  been  on  the  very 
threshold  of  an  error.  I  remember  that  one  day,  while  I 
stood  contemplating,  in  the  suburbs  of  this  city,  a  scene  of 
misery  that  one  might  not  have  expected  to  witness  out  of 
Europe,  he  advanced  to  the  door  of  the  dreary  hovel  I  gazed 
at,  and  asked  the  inhabitants  how  long  they  had  resided  in 
America.  The  answer  proved  that  he  had  not  deceived  him 
self  as  to  the  birthplace  of  its  luckless  tenants.  In  this  man 
ner,  in  more  than  a  dozen  instances,  he  has  proved  that  his 
own  country  has  not  given  birth  to  the  vice  and  idleness, 
which  here  could  alone  entail  such  want.  In  perhaps  as 
many  more  instances,  he  has  passed  on,  shaking  his  head  at 
my  request  that  he  would  examine  the  causes,  admitting  frank 
ly  that  he  saw  the  subjects  were  natives.  It  is  astonishing 
how  accurate  his  eye  is  in  making  this  distinction.  I  do  not 
know  that  he  has  been  deceived  in  a  solitary  instance.  Where 
misery  is  so  rare,  it  is  a  vast  deal  to  admit,  that  perhaps  half 
of  its  objects  are  the  victims  of  a  different  system  than  that 
under  which  it  is  exhibited. 

"There  is  something  exceedingly  attractive  in  the  exhi 
bition  of  neatness  and  domestic  comfort  which  one  s<bes 
throughout  this  country.  I  think  the  brilliancy  of  the  cli 
mate,  the  freshness  of  the  plants,  and  the  exterior  ornaments 
of  the  houses,  contribute  to  the  charm.  There  is  a  species 
of  second-rate  genteel  houses,  that  abound  in  New  York, 
into  which  I  have  looked,  when  passing,  with  the  utmost 


238  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


NEW    YORK. 


pleasure.  They  have,  as  usual,  a  story  that  is  half  sunk  in 
the  earth,  receiving  light  from  an  area,  and  two  floors  above. 
The  tenants  of  these  buildings  are  chiefly  merchants,  or  pro 
fessional  men,  in  moderate  circumstances,  who  pay  rents  of 
from  300  to  500  dollars  a  year.  You  know  that  no  Ameri 
can,  who  is  at  all  comfortable  in  life,  will  share  his  dwelling 
with  another.  Each  has  his  own  roof,  and  his  own  little 
yard.  These  buildings  are  finished,  and  exceedingly  well 
finished  too,  to  the  attics;  containing,  on  the  average,  six 
rooms,  besides  offices,  and  servants'  apartments.  The  furni 
ture  of  these  houses  is  often  elegant,  and  always  neat.  Ma 
hogany  abounds  here,  and  is  commonly  used  for  all  the  prin 
cipal  articles,  and  very  frequently  for  doors,  railings  of  stairs, 
&/c.  &c.  Indeed  the  whole  world  contributes  to  their  lux 
ury.  French  clocks,  English  and  Brussels  carpets,  curtains 
from  Lyons  and  the  Indies,  alabaster  from  France  and  Italy, 
marble  of  their  own,  and  from  Italy,  and,  in  short,  every 
ornament  below  the  rarest  that  is  known  in  every  other 
country  in  Christendom,  and  frequently  out  of  it,  is  put 
within  the  reach  of  the  American  of  moderate  means,  by  the 
facilities  of  their  trade.  In  that  classical  taste,  which  has 
been  so  happily  communicated  to  your  French  artizans,  their 
own  are,  without  doubt,  miserably  deficient ;  but  they  are 
good  imitators,  and  there  is  no  scarcity  of  models.  While 
in  consequence  of  want  of  taste  or  want  of  wealth,  the 
Americans  possess,  in  very  few  instances,  any  one  of  the  ar 
ticles  that  contribute  to  the  grace  of  life  in  the  same  per 
fection  as  they  are  known  in  some  one  other  country,  they 
enjoy,  by  means  of  their  unfettered  trade,  a  combination  of 
the  same  species  of  luxuries,  in  a  less  advanced  state,  that  is 
found  no  where  else.  They  often,  nay,  almost  always,  fail 
in  particular  excellence,  but  they  possess  an  aggregate  of 
approximate  perfection  that  is  unrivalled,  perhaps,  even  in 
England  ;  certainly  if  we  descend  below  the  very  highest 
classes  in  the  latter  country. 

"  But  there  are  hundreds,  I  believe  I  might  almost  say 
thousands,  of  houses  in  New  York,  of  pretensions  altogether 
superior  to  those  just  named.  A  particular  description  of 
one  belonging  to  a  friend  of  Cadvvallader,  by  whose  favor  I 
was  permitted  to  examine  it,  may  serve  to  give  you  an 
idea  of  the  whole  of  its  class.  The  proprietor  is  a  gentle 
man  of  the  first  society  of  the  country,  and  of  what  is  here 
called  an  easy  fortune,  though  hundreds  of  his  neighbors 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  239 


NEW  YORK. 


enjoy  the  goods  of  this  world  in  a  far  greater  degree  than 
himself. 

"The  dwelling  of  Mr. is  on  the  Broadway,   one  of 

the  principal  streets,  that  runs  on  the  height  of  land  along 
the  centre  of  the  island,  for  the  distance  of  about  two  miles. 
It  is  the  fashionable  mall  of  the  city,  and  certainly,  for  gayety, 
the  beauty  and  grace  of  the  beings  who  throng  it,  and  above 
all,  the  glorious  sun,  that  seems  to  reign  here  three  days  out 
of  four,  it  may  safely  challenge  competition  with  most  if  not 
any  of  the  promenades  of  the  old  world.  The  house  iu 
question  occupies,  I  should  think,  a  front  of  about  thirty-four 
feet  on  the  Broadway,  and  extends  into  the  rear  between 
sixty  and  severity  more.  There  are  no  additions,  the  build 
ing  ascending  from  the  ground  to  its  attics  in  the  same  pro 
portions.  The  exterior  necessarily  presents  a  narrow,  ill-ar 
ranged  facade,  that  puts  architectural  beauty  a  good  deal  at 
defiance.  The  most  that  can  be  done  with  such  a  front  is 
to  abstain  from  inappropriate  ornament,  and  to  aim  at  such 
an  effect  as  shall  convey  a  proper  idea  of  the  more  substan 
tial  comforts,  and  the  neatness  that  predominate  within.  The 
building  is  of  brick,  painted  and  lined,  and  modestly  orna 
mented,  in  very  good  taste,  with  caps,  sills,  cornices,  &,c.  &c. 
in  the  dark  red  freestone  of  the  country.  The  house  is  of 
four  stories;  the  lower,  or  rez  dc  chansser,  being  half  sunk 
as  is  very  usual,  below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  the 
three  upper  possessing  elevations  in  proportion  to  the  height 
of  the  edifice.  The  door  is  at  one  of  the  corners  of  the  front, 
and  is  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  windows  of  the  first  floor, 
which  may  commence  at  the  distance  of  about  a  dozen  feet 
above  the  pavement  of  the  street.  To  reach  this  door,  it  is 
necessary  to  mount  a  flight  of  steep,  inconvenient  steps,  also 
in  freestone,  which  compensate,  in  a  slight  degree,  for  the 
pain  of  the  ascent,  by  their  admirable  neatness,  and  the  per 
fect  order  of  their  iron  rails  and  glittering  brass  ornaments. 
The  entrance  is  into  a  little  vestibule,  which  may  be  some 
twelve  feet  long,  by  eight  in  width.  This  apartment  is  en 
tirely  unfurnished,  and  appears  only  constructed  to  shelter 
visiters,  while  the  servant  is  approaching  to  admit  them 
through  the  inner  door.  The  general  excellence  of  the 
climate,  and  perhaps  the  custom  of  the  country,  have,  as  yet, 
prevented  the  Americans  from  providing  a  proper  place  for 
the  reception  of  the  servants  of  their  guests  :  they  rarely 
wait,  unless  during  the  short  calls,  and  then  it  is  always  in 


240  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


NK\V     YORK. 


the  street.  As  visiters  are  never  announced,  and  as  but  one 
family  occupies  the  same  building,  there  is  little  occasion, 
unless  to  assist  in  unrobing,  for  a  servant  to  attend  his  master 
or  mistress  within  the  outer  door.  From  the  vestibule,  the 
entrance  is  into  a  long,  narrow,  high,  and  handsome  corridor, 
at  the  farther  extremity  of  which  are  the  principal  stairs. 
This  corridor,  or  passage,  as  it  is  called  here,  is  carpeted, 
lighted  with  a  handsome  lamp,  has  a  table,  and  a  few  chairs, 
and,  in  short,  is  just  as  unlike  a  French  corridor  as  any 
thing  of  the  sort  can  very  well  be.  From  this  passage,  you 
enter  the  rooms  on  the  first  floor  :  you  ascend  to  the  upper, 
and  descend  to  the  lower  story,  and  you  have  egress  from 
and  ingress  to  the  house  by  its  front  and  rear.  The  first 
floor  is  occupied  by  two  rooms  that  communicate  by  double 
doors.  These  apartments  are  nearly  equal  in  size,  and,  sub 
tracting  the  space  occupied  by  the  passage,  and  two  little 
china  closets,  that  partially  separate  them,  they  cover  the 
whole  area  of  the  house.  Each  room  is  lighted  by  two  win 
dows  ;  is  sufficiently  high  ;  has  stuccoed  ceiling  and  cornices 
in  white;  hangings  of  light,  airy,  French  paper;  curtains  in 
silk  and  muslin  ;  mantel  pieces  of  carved  figures  in  white 
marble,  (Italian  in  manufacture,  I  should  think  :)  Brussels 
carpets;  large  mirrors;  chairs,  sofas,  and  tables,  in  mahog 
any  ;  chandeliers  ;  beautiful,  neat,  and  highly  wrought  grates 
in  the  fireplaces,  of  home  work  ;  condelabras,  lustres,  foe.  &c., 
much  as  one  sees  them  all  over  Europe.  In  one  of  the  rooms, 
however,  is  a  spacious,  heavy,  ill-looking  sideboard,  in  ma 
hogany,  groaning  with  plate,  knife  and  spoon  cases,  all 
handsome  enough  I  allow,  but  sadly  out  of  place,  where  they 
are  seen.  Here  is  the  first  great  defect  that  I  find  in  the  or 
dering  of  American  domestic  economy  The  eating  or 
dining  room  is  almost  invariably  the  best  one  in  the  house. 
The  custom  is  certainly  of  English  origin,  and  takes  its  rise 
in  the  habit  of  sitting  an  hour  or  two  after  the  cloth  is  re 
moved,  picking  nuts,  drinking  wine,  chatting,  yawning,  and 
gazing  about  the  apartment.  The  first  great  improvement 
to  be  made  in  the  household  of  these  people  is  to  substitute 
taste  for  prodigality  in  their  tables  ;  and  the  second,  I  think, 
will  be  to  choose  an  apartment  for  their  meals,  that  shall  be 
convenient  to  the  offices  suited  to  the  habits  of  the  family, 
plain  in  its  ornaments,  and  removed  from  the  ordinary  occu 
pations  of  those  who  are  to  enjoy  it.  In  some  houses  this  is 
already  partially  effected  ;  but  as  a  rule,  I  am  persuaded  that 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  241 


NEW  YORK. 


the  American  guest,  who  should  find  himself  introduced  into 
a  salle  d  manger,  as  plain  as  that  in  which  a  French  duke 
usually  takes  his  repast,  would  not  think  his  host  a  man  who 
sufficiently  understood  the  fitness  of  things.  I  have  heard 
it  said  that  the  occupant  of  the  White  House*  gives  his 
dinners  in  one  of  these  plain  rooms,  and  that  the  meanness 
of  Congress  is  much  laughed  at,  because  they  do  not  order 
one  better  furnished  for  him.  Certes,  if  Congress  never 
showed  a  worse  taste  than  this,  they  might  safely  challenge 
criticism.  As  the  President,  or  his  wife,  directs  these  mat 
ters,  I  suppose,  however,  the  great  national  council  is  alto 
gether  innocent  of  the  innovation. 

"  You  ascend,  by  means  of  the  stairs  at  the  end  of  the 
passage,  into  what  is  here  called  the  second  story,  but  which, 
from  the  equivocal  character  of  the  basement,  it  is  difficult  to 
name  correctly.  This  ascent  is  necessarily  narrow,  crowd 
ed,  and  inconvenient.  The  beautiful  railings  in  mahogany 
and  brass,  and  the  admirable  neatness  of  every  part  of  an 
American  house  of  any  pretension,  would  serve  to  reconcile 
one  to  a  thousand  defects.  As  respects  this  cardinal  point, 
1  think  there  is  little  difference  between  the  English  and  the 
Americans,  at  least  so  far  as  I  have  yet  seen  the  latter;  but 
the  glorious  sun  of  this  climate  illuminates  every  thing  to 
such  a  degree,  as  to  lend  a  quality  of  brightness  that  is  rarely 
known  in  Britain.  You  know  that  a  diamond  will  hardly 
glitter  in  London.  It  must  also  be  remembered  that  an 
American  house  is  kept  in  this  order  by  the  aid  of,  perhaps, 
one  third  of  the  domestics  that  would  be  employed  in  the 
mother  country. 

"  On  the  second  floor,  (or  perhaps  you  will  get  a  better 

idea,  if  I  call  it  the  first,)  of  the  house  of  Mr. ,  there  is 

a  spacious  saloon,  which  occupies  the  whole  length  of  the 
building,  and  possesses  a  correspond  ing  breadth.  This  apart 
ment,  being  exclusively  that  of  the  mistress  of  the  mansion, 
is  furnished  with  rather  more  delicacy  than  those  below. 
The  curtains  are  in  blue  India  damask,  the  chairs  and  sofa 
of  the  same  colored  silk,  and  other  things  are  made  to  cor 
respond.  The  library  of  the  husband  is  on  the  same  floor, 
and  between  the  two  there  is  a  room  used  as  a  bedchamber. 
The  third  story  is  appropriated  to  the  sleeping  rooms  of  the 
family  ;  the  attic  to  the  same  purpose  for  the  servants,  and 

*  The  President  of  the  United  States. 
16 


242  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 


NEW     YORK. 


the  basement  contains  a  nursery  and  the  usual  offices.  The 
whole  building  is  finished  with  great  neatness,  and  with  a 
solidity  and  accuracy  of  workmanship  that  it  is  rare  to  meet 
in  Europe  out  of  England.  The  doors  of  the  better  rooms 
are  of  massive  mahogany,  and  wherever  wood  is  employed  it 
is  used  with  great  taste  and  skill.  All  the  mantel  pieces  are 
marble,  all  the  floors  are  carpeted,  and  all  the  walls  are  fin 
ished  in  a  firm  smooth  cement. 

"I  have  been  thus  minute  in  my  account,  because  in  de 
scribing  the  house  of  Mr. ,  I  am  persuaded  that  I  con 
vey  a  general  idea  of  those  of  all  the  upper  classes  in  the 
northern  section  of  this  country.  There  are,  certainly,  much 
larger  and  more  pretending  buildings  than  his,  in  New  York, 
and  many  far  richer  and  more  highly  wrought ;  but  this  is 
the  habitation  of  an  American  in  the  very  best  society, 
who  is  in  easy  circumstances,  of  extensive  and  high  con 
nections,  and  who  receives  a  fair  proportion  of  his  ac 
quaintances. 

"  You  will  also  see  by  what  I  have  written,  that  the  Amer 
icans  have  not  yet  adopted  a  style  of  architecture  of  their 
own.  Their  houses  are  still  essentially  English,  though 
neither  the  winters  nor  the  summers  of  their  climate  would 
seem  to  recommend  them.  There  is,  however,  something  in 
the  opposite  character  of  the  two  seasons,  to  render  a  choice 
difficult.  A  people  in  whose  country  the  heats  of  Florence 
and  the  colds  of  St.  Petersburg,  periodically  prevail,  may 
well  hesitate  between  a  marble  fountain,  and  a  Russian  stove. 
I  am  not  certain  that,  considering  their  pursuits,  and  the  pe 
culiarity  of  climate,  they  are  very  wrong  in  their  present 
habits.  But  I  shall  forever  protest  against  the  use  of  carpets, 
while  the  thermometer  is  at  90°,  nor  shall  I  soon  cease  to 
declaim  against  those  hideous  excrescences  called  stoops. 
Beautiful,  fragrant,  and  cool  India  mats  are,  notwithstanding, 
much  in  use  in  midsummer,  in  the  better  houses.  Still, 
with  all  my  efforts,  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  a  room  to 
sleep  in,  that  is  not  fortified  with  a  Brussels,  or  a  double  Eng 
lish  ingrain.  The  perspiration  stands  on  my  forehead,  while 
I  write  of  them!  Another  defect  in  the  American  establish 
ment  is  the  want  of  cabinets  dc  toilette.  They  are  certainly 
to  be  found  in  a  few  houses,  but  I  have  occupied  a  bedroom 
five  and  twenty  feet  square,  in  a  house  otherwise  convenient, 
that  had  not  under  its  roof  a  single  apartment  of  the  sort. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  243 


NEW     YORK. 


This  is  truly  a  sad  prodigality  of  room,  though  space  be  un 
questionably  so  very  desirable  in  a  warm  climate. 

"  I  should  think  about  the  same  proportion  of  the  inhabit 
ants  keep  carriages  here  as  in  France.  But  the  ordinary 
coaches  of  the  stands  in  New  York  are  quite  as  good,  and 
often  far  better  than  those  voitures  de  remise  that  one  usually 
gets  by  the  day  in  Paris.  There  is  even  a  still  better  class 
of  coaches  to  be  ordered  by  the  day,  or  hour,  from  the 
stables,  which  are  much  used  by  the  inhabitants.  The  equi 
pages  of  this  city,  with  the  exception  of  liveries,  and  heraldic 
blazonries,  are  very  much  like  those  of  your  own  mighty 
capital.  When  I  first  landed,  coming  as  I  did  from  England, 
I  thought  the  coaches  so  exceedingly  light  as  to  be  mean  ; 
but,  too  experienced  a  traveller  to  be  precipitate,  I  waited 
for  the  old  impressions  to  lose  a  little  of  their  influence,  be 
fore  an  opinion  was  formed,  and  in  a  short  time  I  came  to 
see  their  beauties.  Cadwallader  told  me  that  when  he  first 
arrived  in  England,  he  was  amazed  at  the  clumsiness  of  the 
English  vehicles,  but  that  time,  by  rendering  them  familiar, 
soon  changed  his  opinion.  We  went  together  lately  to  ex 
amine  a  coach  from  London,  which  its  owner  had  abandoned, 
either  in  distaste,  or  because  he  found  it  unsuited  to  the 
country,  and  really  it  was  calculated  to  renew  all  the  original 
opinions  of  my  friend.  I  have  heard  of  an  American,  who 
carried  to  England  one  of  the  light  vehicles  of  his  country, 
and  after  it  had  arrived,  he  was  positively  ashamed  to  exhibit 
it  among  its  ponderous  rivals.  In  this  manner  do  we  all  be 
come  the  subjects  of  a  capricious  and  varying  taste,  that  is 
miserably  dependent  on  habit;  a  fact  simple  as  it  is,  which 
might  teach  moderation  and  modesty  to  all  young  travellers, 
and  rather  less  dogmatism  than  is  commonly  found  among 
some  that  are  older."* 

During  a  principal  part  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  the  city 
of  New  York  was  in  possession,  and  the  head  quarters,  of 
the  British.  Boston  was  evacuated  by  the  British,  March 
17th,  1776.  About  the  middle  of  April  following,  General 
Washington,  expecting  an  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  British, 
to  take  possession  of  the  city  of  New  York,  himself  fixed  his 

*  Notices  of  the  Americans. 


244  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


NEW   YORK. 


head  quarters  in  that  city,  where  the  greater  part  of  his 
troops  rendezvoused.  A  portion  of  the  American  army, 
amounting  to  about  15,000,  were  posted  on  Long  Island, 
across  East  river,  at  the  distance  of  about  a  mile  from  the 
city.  On  the  12th  of  August,  the  British  General  Howe, 
landed  his  troops,  estimated  at  about  24,000  men,  at  Graves- 
end  Bay  to  the  right  of  the  Narrows.  On  the  20th,  an  en 
gagement  between  these  two  armies  occurred,  in  which  the 
Americans  were  routed.  In  consequence  of  this  defeat,  and 
the  American  troops  being  destitute  of  shelter  from  severe 
and  heavy  rains,  and  at  the  same  time  being  greatly  fatigued 
and  dispirited,  Gen.  Washington  determined  to  withdraw  his 
troops  from  the  island.  "  This  retreat,"  says  Dr.  Holmes, 
"  was  to  have  commenced  at  eight  o'clock  on  the  night  of 
the  28th  ;  but  a  strong  north-east  wind  and  a  rapid  tide 
caused  a  delay  of  several  hours.  In  this  extremity,  Heaven 
remarkably  favored  the  fugitive  army.  A  south-west  wind 
springing  up  at  eleven,  essentially  facilitated  its  passage  from 
the  island  to  the  city  ;  and  a  thick  fog  hanging  over  Long 
Island  from  about  two  in  the  morning,  concealed  its  move 
ments  from  the  enemy,  who  were  so  near  that  the  sound  of 
their  pickaxes  and  shovels  was  heard.  In  about  half  an  hour 
after,  the  fog  cleared  away,  and  the  enemy  were  seen  taking 
possession  of  the  American  lines.  General  Washington,  as 
far  as  possible,  inspected  every  thing.  From  the  commence 
ment  of  the  action  on  the  morning  of  the  26th,  until  the 
troops  were  safely  across  East  river,  he  never  closed  his  eyes, 
and  was  almost  constantly  on  horseback.  His  wisdom  arid 
vigilance,  with  the  interposing  favor  of  Divine  Providence, 
saved  the  army  from  destruction."* 

Immediately  after  the  victory  on  Long  Island,  the  British 
made  dispositions  to  attack  New  York.  Under  an  appre 
hension  that  -the  place  was  indefensible,  it  was  decided  in  a 
council  of  general  officers  that  it  was  inexpedient  to  attempt 
to  hold  possession.  Accordingly,  the  American  army  was 
withdrawn  with  an  inconsiderable  loss  of  men  ;  but  all  the 
heavy  artillery,  and  a  large  portion  of  the  baggage,  provision, 
and  military  stores,  was  unavoidably  abandoned.  On  the 
15th  of  September  the  British  troops  entered  and  took  pos 
session  of  the  city. 

"  Within  a  few  days,  a  fire   broke   out  at  a  place  where  a 

*  Hohnes's  Annal-. 


246  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 


BROOKLYN. 


party  of  British  sailors  had  been  frolicking,  which  spread 
with  unexampled  fury.  The  buildings  were  then  chiefly  cov 
ered  with  shingles ;  the  weather  had  been  extremely  dry  for 
some  days  ;  a  strong  southerly  wind  prevailed  at  the  time ; 
and  it  broke  out  about  one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  at  a  sea 
son  when  the  town  was  almost  empty  of  its  citizens — and 
the  engines  and  pumps  were  chiefly  out  of  order.  About 
one  thousand  buildings  were  destroyed,  and  bat  for  the  ex 
ertions  of  the  sailors  and  soldiers  with  engines  from  the  fleet, 
the  whole  city  must  have  been  reduced  to  ashes." 

The  British  continued  to  hold  possession  of  the  city  until 
the  25th  of  November,  1783,  on  which  day  they  evacuated 
it ;  and  on  the  same  day,  the  American  army  entered.  On 
the  following  Sabbath,  divine  service  was  performed  at  King's 
Chapel,  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Rogers,  who  delivered  a  well  adapt 
ed  discourse  to  a  thronged  and  deeply  affected  assembly. 
The  fireworks  on  the  evening  of  the  next  Tuesday,  probably 
exceeded  any  exhibition  of  the  kind,  ever  witnessed  in  Amer 
ica.  The  last  and  not  the  least  interesting  spectacle  was 
seen  in  passing  down  the  harbor, — the  British  fleet,  lying 
peaceably  at  anchor  above  Sandy  Hook,  ready  to  transport 
the  troops  to  their  own  shores. 


BROOKLYN. 

This  city  is  situated  on  the  west  end  of  Long  Island,  oppo 
site  the  south  part  of  the  city  of  New  York,  and  probably  de 
serves  to  hold  a  second  rank,  in  reference  to  population  and 
commercial  importance,  with  any  in  the  state.  There  are 
four  ferries  established  between  New  York  and  Brooklyn, 
well  provided  with  numerous  and  commodious  steamboats, 
which  render  the  communication  as  easy  as  it  would  be  by 
bridges.  The  average  width  of  the  river,  at  the  three  upper 
ferries,  is  about  700  yards ;  but  at  the  lower  or  South  ferry 
it  is  upwards  of  1300  yards  ;  the  time  of  crossing  is  from  four 
to  five  minutes.  The  fine  water,  pure  air,  and  pleasant  pros 
pects  of  Brooklyn,  render  it  a  favorite  place  of  residence  to 
persons  doing  business  in  New  York,  and  it  is  nearer  to  the 
business  centres  of  the  latter  than  residences  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  city. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  247 


BROOKLYN. 


Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  rapid  growth  of  Brooklyn 
from  the  fact,  that  in  1810  the  population  was  only  about 
4,000  j  since  which  time  it  has  more  than  doubled  every  ten 
years,  and  now  numbers  nearly  100,000.  The  city,  as  char- 
tered,  has  the  same  extent  as  the  original  township,  which  is 
six  miles  long,  and  four  miles  wide  at  its  utmost  breadth ; 
and  all  this  great  extent  has  been  laid  out  into  streets,  the 
corner-posts  of  which  have  been  permanently  fixed. 

There  are  probably  a  greater  number  of  churches  here,  of 
various  denominations,  than  in  any  other  city  in  the  Union  of 
the  same  size.  There  are  also  several  elegant  edifices  occu 
pied  by  banking  and  insurance  companies. 

The  city  has  a  number  of  literary  and  scientific  institutions 
of  a  high  order:  among  the  principal  of  which  are  Brooklyn 
Institute,  formed  by  the  union  of  the  "  Apprentices'  Library 
Association,"  the  "Brooklyn  Lyceum,"  and  the  "City  Libra 
ry  ;"  the  Lyceum  of  Natural  History ;  the  Hamilton  Literary 
and  the  Franklin  Literary  Associations ;  and  several  acade 
mies  and  female  seminaries  of  distinction.  There  are  also 
a  number  of  public  schools,  well  taught  and  attended. 

A  navy-yard,  of  about  forty  acres,  is  located  at  the  Walla- 
bout,  and  well  provided  with  all  necessaries  for  constructing 
the  largest  class  of  vessels.  Connected  with  the  yard  is  a 
Naval  Lyceum,  composed  of  officers  of  the  U.  S.  navy,  and 
possessing  a  large  library  and  museum.  A  dry  dock  is  in 
progress  here,  which  will  cost  an  immense  sum,  but  probably 
be  of  great  utility  when  completed. 

About  200  acres  of  land,  delightfully  situated  in  the  south 
part  of  the  city,  has  been  inclosed  as  a  place  of  repose  for  the 
dead.  It  is  called  the  Greenwood  Cemetery,  and  comprises 
every  variety  of  surface,  capable  of  being  beautified  to  suit 
the  tastes  of  the  numerous  individuals  who  have  purchased 
lots  therein.  Already  it  affords  grateful  displays  of  romantic 
shrubbery,  annuals,  and  evergreens,  and  contains  several 
splendid  monuments. 

The  harbor  is  extensive,  and  its  depth  sufficient  to  allow  the 
largest  vessels  to  come  to  its  wharves.  The  Atlantic  dock, 
at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  city,  is  a  stupendous  work, 
and  a  highly  creditable  evidence  OA"  the  enterprise  and  wealth 
of  its  proprietors. 

The  Long  Island  railroad  commences  at  the  South  ferry, 
and  extends  100  miles  to  Greenport,  forming  part  of  a  chain 
of  daily  communication  with  Boston. 


248  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

ALBANY. 


ALBANY. 

Albany  is  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Hudson,  near 
the  head  of  tide  water,  160  miles  from  New  York.  It  is 
the  seat  of  government  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  in  point 
of  wealth,  population,  trade,  and  resources,  the  second  city 
in  the  State. 

It  is  a  current  opinion,  that  during  his  voyage  in  1609, 
Hudson  himself  ascended  the  river  as  far  as  the  present  site 
of  Albany.  This  is  incorrect.  The  navigator  himself  pro 
ceeded  to  a  point,  a  little  above  where  the  city  of  Hudson* 
now  stands,  whence  he  despatched  a  boat  to  explore  the  river 
still  higher  up.  The  boat  reached  the  present  site  of  Albany, 
and  returned. 

In  1614,  a  fort  and  trading  house  were  erected  near  the 
spot  on  which  Albany  now  stands,  which  was  called  Fort 
Orange.  The  precise  location  of  these  appears  to  have  been 
a  small  island  in  the  river,  about  half  a  mile  below  the  present 
site.  It  is  probable  that  a  village  was  commenced  soon  af 
terwards,  on  the  present  site  of  the  city.  The  Indian  name 
of  the  spot  was  Skcnectadea.  The  village  was  at  first  called 
by  the  Dutch  Bcvcrwych ;  then  Fort  Orange,  and  afterwards 
Willtmnstadt.  It  received  the  name  of  Albany,  at  the  time 
of  the  English  conquest  in  1664,  in  honor  of  the  Duke  of 
York  and  Albany,  brother  of  Charles  II.  Next  to  James- 

*  While  the  ship  lay  at  anchor,  it  is  related,  that  Hudson  and  his 
crew,  for  the  purpose  of  making  an  experiment  on  the  temper  of  the  In 
dians,  attempted  to  make  a  number  of  their  principal  men  drunk.  But, 


though  they  "  were  all  merry,"  as  the  journalist  expresses  it,  only  one 
of  them  appears  to  have  been  completely  intoxicated.  This  phenome 
non  excited  great  surprise  and  alarm  among  his  companions.  They 
knew  not  what  to  make  of  it.  And  it  was  not  until  the  next  day.  when 
he  had  completely  recovered,  that  they  became  composed  and  satisfied. 
This,  so  far  as  we  know,  is  the  first  instance  of  intoxication  by  ardent 
spirits  among  the  Indians,  on  this  part  of  the  American  continent.  It 
is  very  remarkable,  that  among  the  Six  J\'ations,  there  is  a  tradition  still 
very  distinctly  preserved,  of  a  scene  of  intoxication,  which  occurred 
with  a  company  of  the  natives,  when  the  first  ship  arrived.  Happy  for 
these  sons  of  the  forest,  and  their  "  red  brethren  "  in  all  the  land,  so  far 
as  this  maddening  poison  is  concerned,  had  Columbus  never  made  his 
otherwise  fortunate  and  glor  ous  discovery  of  these  western  shores. 
Well  niay  the  Indians  of  America  ask,  as  asked  an  Indian  of  Levasseur 
in  one  of  the  Western  States — "  Have  the  white  people  any  God? 
Will  his  vengeance  always  sleep  ?  Will  he  never  take  pity  on  poor 
Indians  ?  " 


250  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


town,  in  Virginia,  it  is  the  oldest  settlement  in  the  United 
States.  The  Indian  name  of  the  North,  or  Hudson  river, 
was  Cahohdtatea. 

Albany,  like  New  York,  was  settled  by  the  Dutch,  and 
for  many  years  afterwards  the  inhabitants  were  almost  with 
out  exception  descendants  from  the  original  settlers.  The 
houses  were  almost  all  built  in  the  Dutch  manner  ;  standing 
endwise  upon  the  street,  with  high,  sharp  roofs,  small  windows, 
and  low  ceilings.  The  appearance  of  these  houses  was  or 
dinary,  dull,  and  disagreeable.  The  first  house  ever  erected 
in  the  place  was  standing  a  few  years  since,  and  is  perhaps 
to  this  day.  It  was  built  of  bricks,  which  were  imported 
from  Holland.  Every  house  almost  had  its  stoop,  or  porch, 
in  which  the  Dutch  gentlemen  delighted  to  pass  their  leisure 
hours  with  a  pipe  in  their  mouths.  This  custom  is  noticed 
by  Professor  Kalrn  in  his  travels,  in  1749.  "  The  street 
doors,"  says  he,  "  are  generally  in  the  middle  of  the  houses, 
and  on  both  sides  are  seats,  in  which,  during  fair  weather, 
the  people  sit  and  spend  almost  the  whole  day,  especially  on 
those  which  are  in  the  shadow  of  their  houses.  In  the 
evening  these  seats  are  covered  with  people  of  both  sexes  ; 
but  this  is  rather  troublesome,  as  those  who  pass  by  are 
obliged  to  greet  every  body,  unless  they  shock  the  politeness 
of  the  inhabitants  of  this  town." 

A  great  change,  however,  has  taken  place  in  Albany.  The 
population  has  essentially  altered.  From  its  being  Dutch  in 
its  inhabitants — its  buildings — its  manners  and  customs,  like 
New  York,  the  general  aspect  of  the  place  has  changed. 
One  sees,  here  and  there,  yet  standing,  the  Dutch  tenement, 
on  each  side  of  which  perhaps  is  a  modern  mansion,  with 
its  lofty  roof — its  large  windows — its  granite,  or  marble  ex 
terior — its  pillars,  et  cetera, — all  in  contrast  with  the  humble, 
singular,  and  unsightly  tabernacle  of  the  sojourners  from 
Holland,  or  their  descendants.  The  population  which  has 
come  in  are  in  part  from  New  England,  a  shrewd,  money- 
making  generation — whom  the  Dutch  citizens  regarded  for 
years  with  no  small  jealousy;  but  with  whom  at  length,  an 
cient  prejudices  having  given  way,  they  are  on  terms  of  good 
neighborhood,  and  even  cordiality.  The  distinctions  in  so 
ciety  in  this  place,  some  twenty  or  thirty  years  since,  were, 
perhaps,  as  great  as  in  any  place  on  the  continent ;  but  the 
increase  of  New  England  people,  and  of  others,  has  had  a 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  251 

ALBANY. 

tendency  to  obliterate  in  a  measure  those  strong  and  well-de 
fined  lines,  which  were  formerly  drawn  by  the  wealthy  and 
ancient  Dutch  families,  and  which  were  kept  visible  and  dis 
tinctive  as  long  as  their  influence  availed. 

The  streets  of  Albany  are,  in  a  loose  sense,  parallel  and 
right  angled  to  the  river.  Market,  Pearl,  and  State  streets, 
the  principal  ones,  are  straight  and  handsome.  The  two 
former  are  parallel  to  the  river  ;  the  latter  meets  tjiem  at 
right  angles.  The  streets  are  now  paved,  and  the  travelling 
easy  ;  but  years  since,  owing  to  the  clayey  character  of  the 
soil,  they  were  so  encumbered  with  mud,  that  in  wet  seasons, 
it  was  not  uncommon  for  wagons  to  sink  so  deep  as  to  need 
the  power  of  Hercules  to  extricate  them. 

The  first  appearance  of  the  city  is  not  prepossessing  to  a 
stranger  ;  but  there  is  considerable  taste  displayed  in  the  con 
struction  of  many  of  the  buildings,  both  public  and  private. 
The  Capitol,  or  State  House,  occupies  a  commanding  posi 
tion,  being  situated  at  the  head  of  State  street,  which  rises 
in  a  straight  course  from  the  river  to  the  brow  of  a  hill  220 
feet.  It  is  a  stone  edifice,  115  feet  in  length,  and  90  in 
width,  and  50  feet  high.  In  the  front  is  an  Ionic  portico, 
with  columns  33  feet  in  height.  The  public  square,  ad 
joining  the  capitol,  is  adorned  with  beautiful  walks  and 
avenues.  From  this  point  there  is  a  beautiful  view  of  Green- 
bush,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  famous  for  many 
years  as  a  cantonment.  During  the  late  war  it  presented  a 
bustling  appearance,  but  the  lines  of  barracks,  which  were 
capable  of  accommodating  10,000  men,  are  deserted  and 
solitary. 

The  Academy,  long  a  distinguished  and  well  endowed  in 
stitution,  is  just  north  of  the  capitol.  It  is  the  handsomest 
building  in  the  city.  It  is  of  stone,  three  stories  high,  and 
presents  a  front  of  90  feet.  The  State  Hall,  the  Albany 
Farmers'  and  Mechanics'  Bank,  and  the  Museum,  are  also 
splendid  edifices.  The  collection  of  the  latter  is  one  of  the 
best  in  the  United  States.  The  population  of  Albany  in  1850 
was  50,763. 

The  position  of  Albany  for  commerce  is  exceedingly  eli 
gible,  being  situated  near  the  head  of  sloop  navigation  in  the 
Hudson  river.  The  opening  of  the  Erie  Canal  has  given  a 
great  impulse  to  Albany.  It  has  become  a  vast  thoroughfare 


252  TRAVELS  AND   SKETCHES 

ALBANY. 

for  travellers  of  every  description,  whether  in  pursuit  of  for 
tune  or  pleasure,  bound  north  and  west.  Here  centres, 
preparatory  to  being  shipped  for  New  York,  an  immense 
amount  of  productions  from  the  fertile  regions  of  the  West. 
It  must  long  continue  to  enjoy  its  present  advantages,  and 
these  will  probably  proportionally  increase  with  the  growing 
enterprise  of  the  western  world. 

At  Albany,  the  canal  terminates  in  a  basin.  This  is 
formed  by  an  artificial  pier  80  feet  in  width,  and  4,300  feet 
long ;  it  is  connected  with  the  shore  by  draw  bridges,  and 
covered  with  stores,  in  which  immense  quantities  of  lumber 
and  merchandise  are  deposited.  The  basin  contains  a  sur 
face  of  32  acres. 

The  completion  of  the  canal,  so  far  as  to  connect  its 
waters  with  those  of  the  Hudson,  was  a  joyful  day  for  this 
city.  The  marriage  ceremony,  if  we  may  so  term  it,  took 
place  on  the  23d  of  October,  1823.  The  lock  which  forms 
the  communication  between  the  canal  and  basin  was  on  this 
day,  for  the  first  time  opened ;  and  the  waters  of  the  West, 
with  those  of  the  river  from  the  north  and  south,  for  the  first 
time,  embraced  each  other.  The  transition  of  the  first  boats 
was  celebrated  with  some  ceremony. 

"  Large  committees  from  New  York,  and  from  other 
places  on  the  canal  route,  attended  at  Albany.  The  New 
York  committee  was  headed  by  Mr.  William  Bayard.  Mr. 
James  was  the  chairman  of  the  Albany  committee  of  citizens. 
These  gentlemen  had  on  all  occasions  given  the  full  weight 
of  their  long  established  and  respectable  characters  in  favor 
of  the  execution  of  the  canals. 

"The  pencil  could  not  do  justice  to  the  scene  presented 
on  the  fine  autumnal  morning,  when  the  Albany  lock  was 
first  opened.  Numerous  steamboats  and  river  vessels, 
splendidly  dressed,  decorated  the  beautiful  amphitheatre 
formed  by  the  hills,  which  border  the  valley  of  the  Hudson, 
at  this  place :  the  river  winding  its  bright  stream  far  from 
the  north,  and  losing  itself  in  the  distance  at  the  south  : — 
the  islands  it  embraced ; — the  woods  variegated  by  the  ap 
proach  of  winter,  a  beauty  peculiar  to  our  climate; — the 
wreathed  arches,  and  other  embellishments,  which  had  been 
erected  for  the  occasion,  were  all  objects  of  admiration.  A 
line  of  canal  boats,  with  colors  flying,  bands  of  music,  and 
crowded  with  people,  were  seen  coming  from  the  north,  and 
seemed  to  glide  over  the  level  grounds,  which  hid  the  waters 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  253 


of  the  canal  for  some  distance,  as  if  they  were  moved  by  en 
chantment. 

"  The  first  boat  which  entered  the  lock  was  the  De  Witt 
Clinton,  having  on  board  Governor  Yates,  the  mayor  and 
corporation  of  Albany,  the  canal  commissioners  and  engi 
neers,  the  committees,  and  other  citizens.  Several  other  boats 
succeeded.  One  (not  the  least  interesting  object  in  the 
scene)  was  filled  with  ladies.  The  cap-stone  of  the  lock 
was  laid  with  masonic  ceremonies,  by  the  fraternity,  who  ap 
peared  in  great  numbers  and  grand  costume. 

"  The  waters  of  the  west,  and  of  the  ocean,  were  then 
mingled  by  Dr.  Mitchell,  who  pronounced  an  epithalamium 
upon  the  union  of  the  river  and  the  lakes,  after  which  the 
lock  gates  were  opened,  and  the  De  Witt  Clinton  majestically 
sunk  upon  the  bosom  of  the  Hudson. 

"  She  was  then  towed  by  a  long  line  of  barges,  past  the 
steamboats  and  other  vessels,  to  a  wharf  at  the  upper  end  of 
the  city,  where  those  gentlemen,  who  were  embarked  on 
board  the  canal  boats,  landed  and  joined  a  military  and  civic 
procession,  which  was  conducted  to  a  large  stage,  fancifully 
decorated,  erected  in  front  of  the  capitol.  Here  the  canal 
commissioners  received  a  congratulatory  address  from  Charles 
E.  Dudley,  Esquire,  Mayor  of  Albany,  which  was  answered 
by  Mr.  Clinton,  as  president  of  the  board  of  commissioners. 
The  Albany  committee  was  addressed  by  Mr.  Bayard,  which 
was  returned  by  Mr.  James,  and  the  day  concluded  with  a 
banquet,  at  which  it  might  be  said,  with  as  much  propriety 
as  it  could  be  said  in  relation  to  any  other  festive  board, 
that  there  was  *  the  feast  of  reason  and  the  flow  of  soul.'  "* 


HUDSON. 


This  city  is  very  properly  named  after  the  navigator  of 
1609,  as  a  little  above  this  spot,  or  opposite  to  it,  Hudson 
moored  his  ship,  and  lay  at  anchor  while  a  boat  was  despatch 
ed  to  explore  the  river  higher  up. 

The  city  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  27  miles 


Colden's  Memoir. 


254  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 

TROV. 

below  Albany.  It  stands  on  a  plain  rising  from  the  river, 
where  the  banks  are  50  or  60  feet  in  height ;  this  plain  ter 
minates  in  the  east  at  the  foot  of  an  elevation  which  rises 
several  hundred  feet,  overlooking  the  river  and  country  for 
many  miles  around.  Hudson  is  one  of  the  most  important 
places  on  the  river,  and  is  at  present  increasing  in  business 
and  wealth;  it  maintains  the  third  rank  in  the  State  for 
manufactures,  and  is  regularly  built  with  streets  at  right  an 
gles.  From  a  beautiful  promenade  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
town,  a  delightful  prospect  is  presented  of  the  river  and 
the  Catskill  mountains ;  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Hudson 
is  charmingly  diversified  with  villages,  farms,  and  country 
seats. 

For  several  years  after  its  settlement,  it  was  in  a  very 
flourishing  state  ;  but  subsequently  its  prosperity  was  checked. 
An  impulse  has  recently  been  given  to  it,  by  means  of  several 
large  and  valuable  manufactories,  situated  on  two  creeks, 
the  one  of  which,  Claverack  creek,  flows  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  town — and  Abram's,  or  Factory  creek,  on  the  northern 
side.  The  whale  fishery  has  lately  been  attempted  with  great 
spirit,  and  several  ships  have  returned,  after  highly  success 
ful  voyages,  to  reward  the  owners  for  their  enterprise  and 
adventure.  The  population  of  Hudson  in  1850  was  0;286. 


TROY. 

The  city  of  Troy  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hud 
son  at  the  termination  of  its  tide  and  navigable  waters,  one 
hundred  and  sixty-six  miles  north  of  the  city  of  New  York, 
and  six  north  of  Albany.  It  was  incorporated  in  1806. 

That  part  of  the  city  limits  which  is  most  populous,  and 
now  nearly  covered  with  buildings,  is  situate  on  a  nearly 
level  plain,  which  rises  abruptly  from  the  river  to  the  height 
of  about  25  feet,  extending  about  one  and  a  half  miles  in 
length  along  the  river,  and  about  half  a  mile  back.  Dock 
and  River  streets  meander  with  the  river ;  the  other  seven 
north  and  south  streets  are  straight,  and  60  feet  broad, 
with  a  like  number  of  narrow  streets,  called  alleys,  passing 
through  the  middle  of  each  block.  These  are  crossed  with 
other  streets  at  right  angles  extending  from  the  river  easterly 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  255 


River  street  is  the  great  street  of  business.  The  large 
stores  or  warehouses,  built  on  the  west  side,  are  mostly  of 
brick  or  stone,  and,  being  built  on  the  bank  or  rise  from  the 
river,  are  from  four  and  a  half  to  six  and  a  half  stories  high 
on  the  side  joining  the  wharfs,  and  two  and  a  half  to  three 
and  a  half  stories  on  the  East  or  River  street  side.  On  the 
east  side  of  River  street,  as  also  in  First,  Second,  Third,  and 
Fourth  streets,  the  houses  and  stores  are  mostly  handsome 
modern  brick  buildings.  Among  the  public  buildings  en 
titled  to  particular  notice,  are  St.  Paul's  Church  and  the  City 
Hall,  or  County  Court  House  ;  the  latter  built  in  imitation 
of  the  ancient  temple  of  Theseus  in  Greece,  and,  like  its 
prototype,  entirely  of  marble,  excepting  the  covering  of  the 
roof  which  is  of  copper,  and  excepting  also  that  this  has  pil 
lars  in  front.  It  is  103  feet  long  and  60  broad,  with  side 
walls  50  feet  in  height,  and  for  elegance,  simplicity  and  du 
rability,  is  strikingly  appropriate. 

St.  Paul's  Church  is  built  in  Gothic  style,  of  bushham- 
mered,  dark  colored,  secondary,  limestone,  113  feet  long,  70 
broad,  with  side  walls  42  feet  high,  presenting  the  appear 
ance  of  great  strength,  durability,  and  fine  finish. 

Troy  is  distinguished  for  its  literary  institutions.  Here  is 
situated  a  Female  Seminary,  intended  for  young  ladies,  in  all 
the  higher  branches  of  education,  which  for  a  series  of  years 
was  under  the  care  of  Mrs.  Emma  Willard,  a  lady  of  fine 
understanding  and  attainments,  and  who  to  these  qualifications 
unites  great  energy  and  perseverance.  To  her  untiring 
labors  and  felicitous  management,  this  seminary  is  indebted 
for  its  great  reputation.  It  has  been  patronized  by  gentlemen 
from  perhaps  every  State  in  the  Union,  and  here  numerous 
young  ladies  have  enjoyed  advantages  not,  perhaps,  to  be 
found  at  any  similar  institution  in  the  country.  Although 
Mrs.  Willard  has  (some  time  since)  relinquished  the  charge 
of  this  seminary,  it  still  continues  to  maintain  its  high 
reputation. 

This  city  is  also  the  location  of  the  Rcnsselacr  school — 
named  after  the  Hon.  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer  of  Albany, 
through  whose  liberality  it  was  munificently  endowed.  It  is 
designed  to  instruct  young  men  in  all  the  modern  arts  and 
sciences,  and  more  especially  chemistry  and  geology  as  bear 
ing  upon  the  arts  and  agriculture. 

The  inhabitants  of  Troy  were  principally  from  New  Eng- 
'and.  If  the  original  settlers  were  not  distinguished  for  their 


256  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


SCHENECTADY. 


literary  character,  they  have  ever  sustained  a  high  reputation 
for  their  industry  and  success  in  business.  Many  are  now 
very  wealthy.  Society  has  rapidly  advanced.  Great  liberality 
is  exhibited  in  the  way  of  public  improvements.  Troy  is  a 
beautiful  spot,  and  considering  its  thrift,  its  industry,  its  en 
ergetic  and  enterprising  population,  and  its  yearly  improving 
state  of  society,  it  is  among  the  most  desirable  residences  in 
the  State  of  New  York. 

The  Erie  canal  here  enters  the  Hudson,  giving  to  the 
place  many  of  the  advantages  which  Albany  enjoys,  in  con 
sequence  of  that  magnificent  channel  of  intercourse  with  the 
West.  Immense  quantities  of  lumber,  flour,  grain,  wool, 
beef,  pork,  &-c.  besides  manufactured  goods,  are  shipped  to 
New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  Boston.  Steamboats  daily  as 
cend  and  descend  the  Hudson,  from  this  place,  while  a  great 
number  of  passage,  or  "  packet"  boats,  and  freight,  or  "  line" 
boats,  as  they  are  called,  are  continually  arriving  and  de 
parting.  The  manufacture  of  flour  here  amounts  to  one  or 
two  hundred  thousand  barrels.  Its  other  manufacturing 
establishments  are  numerous,  and  on  an  extensive  scale:  the 
population  in  1850  was  28,785. 


SCHENECTADY. 

The  name  of  this  city  is  said  to  be  of  Indian  origin,  being 
derived  from  Schcncctadea,  or  Pine-Wood  Landing,  a  phrase 
used  by  the  Indians  to  designate  a  considerable  extent  of 
country,  of  which  the  present  city  of  Schenectady  forms  a 
part.  The  name  of  the  spot  on  which  Schenectady  stands 
was  Ohnowalagdntle. 

The  city  is  pleasantly  situated,  on  a  fertile  plain  on  the 
south-east  side  of  the  Mohawk  river.  It  is  fifteen  and  a  half 
miles  north-west  from  Albany.  It  is  bounded,  on  the  east 
and  south-east,  by  a  range  of  hills  of  moderate  elevation,  and 
of  rather  a  light  sandy  soil.  On  the  west  of  the  city  and 
the  Mohawk,  the  country  is  spread  out  into  considerable  ex 
tensive  flats,  possessing  a  soil  of  great  fertility,  and  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation. 

The  city  is  laid  out  with  great  regularity  ;  most  of  its 
streets  intersecting  each  other  at  right  angles,  and  dividing 
the  area  into  squares. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  257 

SCHENECTADY. 

The  houses  are,  for  the  most  part,  constructed  of  brick ; 
and  though,  owing  to  the  great  intervals  of  time  at  which 
some  of  them  were  built,  there  has  been  so  great  a  mixture 
of  the  ancient  and  modern  styles  of  architecture  as  greatly 
to  impair  the  beauty  of  the  city,  reviewed  as  a  whole,  yet 
many  private  houses  have  an  air  of  much  comfort  and  ele 
gance.  The  ancient  edifices  are,  however,  yearly  being  dis 
placed,  and  their  sites  are  occupying  with  buildings  in  more 
modern  style.  The  population  in  1850  was  8,921. 

Union  College,  for  its  importance  as  a  literary  institution, 
deserves  particular  notice.  It  is  situated  east  of  the  com 
pact  part  of  the  city,  on  an  eminence  which  affords,  particu 
larly  on  the  west,  an  extensive  and  delightful  prospect.  The 
city,  flanked,  on  the  north-east  and  south-west,  by  luxuriant 
meadows  and  pasture  land — beyond  these,  on  the  west,  the 
beautiful  Mohawk,  gliding  calmly  along — farther  on,  the 
rich  and  variegated  flats,  terminated  by  a  range  of  regular 
and  not  very  high  hills — form,  when  beheld  from  the  College, 
one  of  the  most  charming  landscapes  in  nature. 

Union  College  was  incorporated  in  1794,  and  was  so 
named  from  the  union  of  several  religious  denominations  in 
its  establishment. 

The  plan  of  the  College  edifices,  as  drawn  by  M.  Ramee, 
a  celebrated  French  architect-,  for  its  beauty  and  adaptation 
to  the  purposes  for  which  it  was  designed,  is  highly  credita 
ble  to  the  taste  and  judgment  of  that  artist.  Only  two  of  the 
eight  large  edifices  of  the  original  plan,  have  yet  been  com 
pleted.  These  afford  rooms  for  the  accommodation  of  about 
200  students,  and  tenements  for  the  families  of  the  President 
and  Professors. 

The  institution  possesses  a  library,  cabinet,  philosophical 
and  chemical  apparatus,  &c.  Besides  a  president,  it  has  10 
professors;  about  2,300  alumni,  of  whom  350  have  been 
ministers  of  the  gospel.  The  College  enjoys  a  high  reputa 
tion  under  its  distinguished  president,  Dr.  Nott.  In  the  libra, 
ries  are  about  13,500  volumes,  of  which  that  of  the  College 
contains  about  5,000. 

The  Erie  Canal  crosses  the  north  part  near  the  Hudson, 
but  on  account  of  the  circuitous  route,  and  the  numerous 
locks  between  this  place  and  Albany,  much  of  the  navigation 
stops  here.  Packet  boats  run  hence  in  numerous  lines  to 
Utica,  and  on  as  far  as  Buffalo,  and  many  still  extend  to 

17 


258  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


SCHENECTADY. 


Albany.  Thus  a  vast  amount  of  merchandise  annually 
passes  through  the  city.  The  Albany  and  Schenectady  rail 
road  greatly  facilitates  the  communication  with  the  Hudson  ; 
and  this  with  the  Saratoga  and  Schenectady  rail  road,  have 
rendered  Schenectady  the  great  thoroughfare  for  travellers 
to  the  springs.  Numerous  lines  of  stage  coaches  also  pass 
through  this  city.  Recently  a  rail  road  connecting  this  city 
with  Utica,  has  been  constructed  along  the  valley  of  the  Mo 
hawk.  The  passage,  80  miles,  is  performed  in  four  hours. 

Schenectady  is  more  interesting  from  the  associations  of 
its  early  history,  than  for  its  present  magnitude,  or  im 
portance,  as  a  city.  It  is  one  of  the  oldest  Dutch  settlements 
in  the  State  of  New  York.  Its  early  inhabitants  suffered  all 
the  miseries  and  hardships  that  can  be  supposed  to  have  at 
tended  upon  their  exposed  situation  and  slender  means  of 
subsistence.  Not  powerful  by  their  number  ;  at  a  consider 
able  distance  from  their  civilized  countrymen;  with  scarce 
ly  any  tiling  for  their  defence  ;  they  were  almost  continually, 
during  many  years,  falling  victims  to  savage  treachery  and 
barbarity. 

"  In  the  year  1690,  Schenectady  was  destroyed  by  a  party 
of  Canadian  French  and  Indians,  most  of  them  Mohawks, 
whom  the  French  had  seduced  from  their  attachment  to  the 
English.  This  party  consisted  of  three  hundred  men,  and 
was  one  of  three,  sent  by  Count  De  Frontenac  to  distress 
the  British  colonies.  The  other  two  proceeded  against 
New  Hampshire,  and  the  Province  of  Maine,  where  one  of 
them,  under  Hertel  De  Rouville,  destroyed  Dover.  The 
body,  which  attacked  Schenectady,  was  commanded,  ac 
cording  to  Golden,  by  Monsieur  De  Ourville  ;  according  to 
Dr.  Trumbull,  (for  which  he  quoted  the  letters  of  Colonel 
Schuyler  and  Captain  Bull,)  by  D'Aillebout,  DeMantel,  and 
Le  Moyn.  The  Mohawks  were,  or  had  lately  been  inhabi 
tants  of  Caghnawaga,  a  village  up  the  river,  about  25  miles 
from  Schenectady.  Of  course,  they  had  been  familiarly  ac 
quainted  with  the  town,  and  often  entertained  by  its  citizens. 
The  French  were  chiefly  what  are  called  Indian  traders. 
They  arrived  in  the  neighborhood  on  the  8th  of  February, 
when  the  season  was  so  cold,  and  the  snow  so  deep,  that  it 
was  thought  to  be  impossible  for  an  enemy  to  approach. 
The  French  commander  sent  some  of  the  Indians,  as  spies, 
to  discover  the  state  of  the  town.  These  men  were  seen 


COUNT  DE  FRONTENAC. 


2GO  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


lurking  in  the  neighborhood  ;  and  this  fact  was  publicly  an 
nounced  ;  but  the  people  were  so  satisfied  of  their  safety, 
that  they  paid  no  regard  to  the  information.  Not  even  a 
sentinel  was  employed  to  watch  the  advent  of  the  supposed 
enemy.  This  negligence  was  fatal  to  them.  The  French 
afterwards  confessed,  that  they  were  so  reduced  by  cold, 
hunger,  and  fatigue,  as  to  have  formed  the  resolution  to  sur 
render  themselves  prisoners,  if  they  found  the  least  prepara 
tion  for  resistance.  But,  learning  from  the  spies,  that  the 
town  was  perfectly  defenceless  and  secure,  they  marched 
into  its  centre  the  following  evening,  raised  the  war-whoop  ; 
and,  having  divided  themselves  into  little  parties,  broke 
open  the  houses,  set  them  on  fire,  and  butchered  every  man, 
woman  and  child,  on  whom  they  could  lay  hands.  No 
tongue,  says  Colonel  Schuyler,  can  express  the  cruelties 
which  they  committed.  Some  of  the  inhabitants  sought  for 
safety  in  flight ;  and  ran  naked  through  the  snow  into  the 
fields  and  forests.  Others  endeavored  to  hide  themselves 
within  the  town  from  the  fury  of  their  murderers ;  but  were 
forced  from  their  retreats  by  the  flames,  and  either  killed  or 
carried  into  captivity.  Sixty-three  were  butchered  in  this  in 
human  manner.  Twenty-seven  more  were  made  prisoners. 
Of  those  who  escaped,  twenty-five  lost  their  limbs  by  the 
severity  of  the  cold."* 


UTICA. 

The  city  of  Utica  stands  on  the  south  side  of  the  Mo 
hawk,  in  the  north-east  part  of  the  charming  valley,  which 
is  made  by  the  river  Mohawk,  the  Oriskany  and  the  Sa- 
daghqueda  or  Saquoit  (saw-qua)  cree||p.  It  was  formerly 
called  Old  Fort  Schuyler,  from  a  military  post  of  that  name 
established  here,  to  complete  the  chain  of  communication 
between  Fort  Stanwix  (from  which  it  was  distant  about  six 
teen  miles  north-east)  and  Schenectady. 

This  tract  of  country,  now  so  delightful  and  so  exuber 
ant,  does  not  appear  to  have  attracted  the  attention  of  the 

*  Dwight's  Travels,  vol.  2. 


262  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


Dutch  sufficiently  to  form  a  settlement  in  it,  sluice  it  is  well 
known  to  have  remained  an  unbroken  wilderness,  till  the 
year  1784,  when  Hugh  White,  an  emigrant  from  Middle- 
town,  iu  Connecticut,  with  the  spirit  and  courage  which 
had  a  few  years  before  characterized  Boon,  of  Kentucky, 
first  planted  himself  in  the  neighborhood.  He  entered  a 
log  habitation  at  the  present  village  of  Whitesborough, 
about  four  miles  west  of  Old  Fort  Schuyler,  and  in  what 
was  then  known  as  the  county  of  Montgomery,  embracing 
the  whole  region  west  of  the  county  of  Albany.  In  two  or 
three  years  after,  the  towns  of  Clinton  and  New  Hartford 
were  begun  to  be  settled  by  emigrants  from  the  eastern 
States  ;  and,  in  the  year  1789,  John  Post,  Uriah  Alverson, 
Stephen  Potter,  and  others,  formed  a  settlement  at  Old 
Fort  Schuyler,  the  prosperity  of  which  was  soon  deter 
mined  by  laying  out  a  road  through  the  extensive  wilder 
ness  from  Canandaigua,  "  The  Chosen  Place"  (now  Can- 
andaigua,)  to  the  Mohawk.  This  road  was  opened  in  179O, 
and  intersected  the  river  near  Old  Fort  Schuyler.  The 
settlement  now  increased  rapidly,  and  two  years  afterwards 
it  was  incorporated  as  a  village,  with  its  present  name, 
Utica.  For  many  years  the  country  around  went  by  the 
name  of  IVhitcstown,  after  Mr.  White,  and  to  this  day,  by 
the  aged,  it  is  spoken  of  only  as  the  "  Whitestown  Country." 

An  incident  occurred  in  the  family  of  Mr.  White,  soon 
after  his  settlement  at  the  West,  which  is  still  related  by  the 
family,  and  which  in  the  original  form  was  told  to  Colonel 
McKenney,  by  a  son  of  Mr.  White,  and  by  the  former  has 
been  sketched  in  his  "  Tour  to  the  Lakes." 

"  One  evening,  while  Mr.  White,  the  father,  was  absent, 
and  only  Mrs.  White,  her  little  son  and  daughter,  were  at 
home,  they  were  alarmed  on  seeing  in  the  woods  three  In 
dians  coming  in  the  direction  of  the  house  ;  but  on  per 
ceiving  one  of  them  to  be  Skenandoaijfwho  was  known  to 
them,  their  fears  were  in  a  measure  quieted.  On  arriving, 
they  addressed  the  mother,  and  said,  '  We  have  called  to 
ask  you  for  your  little  daughter  to  take  home  with  us  to 
night  ! '  The  request  startled  Mrs.  White — she  knew  not 
what  answer  to  give;  for  it  was  part  of  the  business  of  Mr. 
White  on  all  occasions,  to  conciliate  the  Indians,  and  by  all 
the  means  in  his  power.  To  refuse  the  request,  she  feared 
would  excite  them  ;  and  to  grant  it,  would  be  to  jeopard  the 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  263 


liberty,  if  not  the  life  of  her  child  !  At  the  critical  moment, 
and  while  the  Indians  were  waiting  for  a  reply,  the  father 
came  in.  The  request  was  repeated  to  him,  when  he  instant 
ly  granted  it.  The  mother  was  overwhelmed  with  surprise, 
and  felt  all  the  horrors  that  may  be  conceived  under  such 
circumstances.  But  she  was  silent.  The  little  girl  was 
brought  out,  and  delivered  over  to  these  Indians,  who  lived 
some  ten  or  twelve  miles  distant.  They  took  her  by  the 
hand  and  led  her  through  the  woods,  stopping  only  long 
enough  to  say,  '  when  the  sun  is  so  high  in  the  morning,' 
pointing  to  a  certain  elevation  in  the  heavens,  '  we  will  re 
turn  her.'  Mrs.  White  had  heard  that  Indians  were  base 
and  treacherous;  and  considered  her  little  daughter  as 
having  been  given  in  sacrifice  to  save  the  family.  Mr.  W. 
explained  his  reason  for  yielding  up  the  child  ;  but  the 
mother,  still  anxious  and  doubting,  gave  way  only  to  grief. 
The  night  was  long  arid  sleepless.  The  day  at  last  broke, 
but  upon  eyes  that  had  not  been  closed,  and  brought  with 
it  increased  anxiety.  The  sun  rose — and  the  anxiety  of 
the  family  rose  with  it.  At  last  he  reached  the  point  in  the 
heavens,  which  had  been  referred  to  for  the  period  of  the 
child's  return,  when  the  anxious  and  afflicted  mother  ex 
claimed, — 'there  they  arc!'  Skenandoah  and  his  com 
panions,  faithful  to  their  promise,  were  on  the  spot,  and  the 
little  girl,  gay  and  smiling,  and  dressed  out  in  all  the  finery 
of  which  an  Indian  lodge  could  boast,  delighted  both  with 
her  visit  and  her  trinkets. 

"  You  may  feel  anxious  to  know,"  observes  Colonel  Mc- 
Kenney,  addressing  himself  to  a  friend,  "  what  was  the  ob 
ject  of  those  Indians,  in  this  extraordinary  movement.  I 
will  tell  you.  Mr.  White  had  gone  among  them,  and  settled 
in  their  country.  He  had  promised  to  be  friendly — he  had 
smoked  the  pipe  of  peace  with  these  people,  a  most  sacred 
and  binding  obligation  with  them,  and  which  they  never  vio 
late.  But  so  had  others,  and  these  promises  and  that  pledge 
in  them  had  been  alike  disregarded.  There  was  no  founda 
tion  left  for  their  confidence  ;  '  the  white  man,'  said  they,  *  is 
deceitful.'  Their  object  was  to  test  the  confidence  of  this 
family  in  them  ;  and  this  was  their  method  of  deciding  the 
question.  '  Give  us  your  child  !  '  If,  as  they  doubtless 
reasoned  among  themselves,  they  trust  us  with  their  daughter, 
they  will  prove  that  they  have  confidence  in  us :  and  we  will 
then  know  how  to  trust  them.  If  they  refuse  our  request, 


264  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

UT1%A. 

then  we  shall  know  that  they  doubt  our  sincerity,  and  this 
will  convince  us  that  they  have  none  themselves.  Mr.  White 
fortunately  understood  the  Indian  character  ;  but  had  not  had 
their  object  explained  to  him.  This  was  a  secret  with  the 
Indians.  But  he  knew  that  their  confidence,  when  once  es 
tablished,  is  ever  after  hard  to  be  shaken  ;  and  concluded,  as 
a  rational  man  would,  that  to  show  confidence  in  them,  was 
the  most  direct  way  to  secure  it  for  himself.  But  the  hazard 
was  great;  the  trial  was  severe;  and  not  unlike  the  demand 
of  old,  made  by  the  Master  of  Life  to  Abraham,  to  '  take  his 
son,  his  only  son  Isaac,  and  offer  him/  &/c. 

"  From  that  hour  the  family  experienced  nothing  but  a 
succession  of  the  kindest  offices  on  the  part  of  the  Indians, 
and  one  uninterrupted  scene  of  friendship  ;  and  so  united 
did  the  Indians  become  in  all  the  interests  of  the  family,  that 
they  stood  always  ready  to  promote  them  ;  and  as  to  security, 
they  never  felt  more  secure  than  when  surrounded  by  these 
people.  Skenandoah,  in  particular,  continued  intimate  with 
this  family  to  his  death.  Mr.  White  died  in  1812,  at  the  age 
of  80  years.  He  was  a  venerable  man,  respected  and  be 
loved  by  all  who  knew  him."* 

From  the  period  when  Utica  was  incorporated,  until  the 
completion  of  the  middle  section  of  the  Erie  canal,  its  aug 
mentation,  though  substantial,  was  not  remarkably  rapid.  In 
1813,  it  numbered  only  1,700  inhabitants.  It  was,  however, 
the  centre  of  intercourse  between  the  lakes  and  the  cities  of 
Schenectady  and  Albany  ;  the  Mohawk  river  affording  a  tol 
erable  communication  with  the  former  place.  The  great 
western  turnpike  from  Albany  to  Buffalo,  also  offered  great 
facilities  for  inland  commerce,  and  Utica  became  the  deposit 
of  products  of  the  northern,  southern,  and  western  back 
country.  But  when  the  great  channel  of  intercourse 
between  lake  Erie  and  the  Hudson  river  approached  its  con 
summation,  the  business,  wealth,  and  population  of  the  place 
rapidly  increased,  and  it  is  now  become  one  of  the  most 
flourishing  and  substantial  towns  in  the  State. 

In  the  year  1793,  the  first  mail  west  of  Canajoharie  was 
transported,  by  Simeon  Pool,  from  that  place  to  Whitestown, 
in  pursuance  of  an  arrangement  of  the  Post  Office  Depart- 

*  McKcnney's  Tour  to  the  Lakes. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  265 


merit,  that  the  inhabitants  along  the  route  should  convey  it 
at  their  own  expense.  The  distance  was  fifty  miles,  and 
twenty-eight  hours  were  allowed  the  post-rider  to  complete 
it.  This  contract  soon  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  late 
Jason  Parker,  Esq.,  a  man  of  much  enterprise,  who  was  the 
founder  of  the  great  lines  of  stages,  which  now  traverse  this 
country  in  every  direction.  To  his  activity,  Utica  is  largely 
indebted  for  her  extraordinary  facilities  of  intercourse  with 
every  part  of  the  State.  At  the  time  of  his  decease,  in  1830, 
there  were  twelve  weekly,  semi-weekly,  or  daily  lines  run 
ning  southerly  and  northerly.  One  hundred  and  eight  regu 
lar  stages  left  the  place,  *and  about  sixty  mails  arrived  and 
departed,  weekly.  In  addition  to  these  conveyances  by  land 
for  the  mails  and  travellers,  there  are  several  lines  of  packet 
boats  on  the  Erie  canal,  which  leave  Utica  daily  for  Schenec- 
tady  ;  and  also  several  for  Buffalo,  and  intermediate  places 
on  the  route.  These  boats  are  commodious  and  pleasant, 
accommodating  comfortably  from  thirty-five  to  forty  pas 
sengers.* 

The  canal  level  is  425  feet  above  the  tide  water  at  Albany. 
The  central  street  of  the  city  is  distant  from  Albany,  by 
post-road,  96  miles;  by  the  canal,  110  miles  :  from  Buffalo, 
on  lake  Erie,  by  the  post-road,  202  miles  :  by  the  canal, 
253  :  from  Oswego,  the  southern  port  of  lake  Ontario,  with 
which  it  communicates  by  the  Erie  and  Oswego  and  Erie 
canals,  84  miles.  The  city  is  nearly  the  geographical  centre 
of  the  State.  In  1794,  the  place  contained  nineteen  fami 
lies:  in  1830,  the  return  from  the  census  was  8,500.  Its 
population  in  the  year  1R50  was  17,565.  The  city  charter 
was  granted  by  the  legislature  of  the  State,  February,  1832. 
The  charter  is  remarkable  for  being  the  first  ever  granted  in 
the  State,  in  which  the  licensing  of  shops  for  retailing  ardent 
spirit  is  expressly  prohibited.  The  city  is  regularly  built ; 
its  streets  are  broad,  straight  and  commodious,  and  the  build 
ings  generally  handsome.  Few  places  have  increased  with 
greater  rapidity  ;  or  for  its  size,  or  age,  contains  more 
wealth,  or  more  institutions  which  have  for  their  object  the 
relief  of  the  poor,  the  improvement  of  morals,  or  the 
cultivation  of  literature  and  science.  A  vast  quantity  of 

*  Encyclopedia  Americana. 


266  TRAVELS  AND  SKETCHES 


ROCHKSTER. 


cotton  and  woollen  goods  are  yearly  manufactured  in  the 
immediate  vicinity.  The  canal  commerce  of  Utica  alone  is 
extensive,  while  the  tolls  paid  on  clearances  received  at  and 
passing  Utica  are  annually  about  one  million  of  dollars.  The 
principal  manufacturing  district  is  the  beautiful  valley  of  the 
Sadaghqueda — a  territory  of  ten  miles  square,  having  Utica 
for  its  north-east  corner,  and  the  river  Mohawk  for  its  north 
erly  line.  Here,  on  the  stream  from  which  the  valley  takes 
its  name,  are  several  large  cotton  manufacturing  establish 
ments,  which  produce  annually  cloth  of  more  than  half  a 
million  of  dollars  in  value.  Connected  with  these  factories 
are  others  of  various  kinds.  * 

At  Utica  is  located  a  Lunatic  Asylum,  which  is  a  State 
institution.  It  was  opened  for  the  admission  of  patients  in 
1843,  and  is  under  the  control  of  a  board  of  managers,  ap 
pointed  by  the  Senate,  upon  the  nomination  of  the  Governor. 
It  is  among  the  best  constructed  institutions  for  the  insane  in 
the  world  ;  and  is  capable  of  accommodating  500  patients, 
enabling  them  to  be  divided  into  12  classes  or  families  for 
each  sex,  exclusive  of  a  large  chapel,  shops,  school-rooms, 
and  hospitals.  Attached  to  the  asylum  is  an  excellent  farm, 
of  about  140  acres,  and  perhaps  no  similar  institution  has  ex 
hibited  more  beneficial  results  of  its  management. 


ROCHESTER. 

In  the  progress  of  our  travels,  we  have  arrived  at  a  spot, 
which,  had  we  visited  it  in  1810 — thirty- eight  years  since — 
not  a  single  house  should  we  have  found  standing  upon  it. 
The  Indian  may  have  encamped  upon  the  ground,  and  pos 
sibly  may  have  erected  his  temporary  wigwam  there,  beside 
the  flowing  waters  of  the  Genesee,  to  listen  to  the  "  eternal 
bass"  of  the  neighboring  cataract  ;  but  the  white  man  had 
not  reared  his  more  substantial  habitation,  or  begun  those 
improvements,  which  his  skill  and  industry  and  perseverance 
have  since  so  magnificently  wrought.  Or,  had  we  delayed 
our  visit  till  1812,  we  should  have  found  "  but  two  frame 
dwellings  here,  small  and  rude  enough,— one  of  which  yet 
remains  to  remind  us  of  the  change  since  the  period  when 
the  occupants  of  those  shantees  had  to  contend  against  wild 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  267 


ROCHESTER. 


beasts,*  for  the  scanty  crop  of  corn  first  raised  in  a  tract  now 
included  in  the  heart  of  the  city."  But,  selecting  some  ap 
propriate  elevation,  cast  your  eyes  abroad,  and  here  you  see 
a  city  has  risen,  as  it  were,  in  a  night,  embracing  a  popula 
tion  of  0,000  souls  ;  and  their  number  is  increasing  every 
day, — while  habitations,  stores,  shops,  manufactories,  by 
hundreds,  are  annually  erecting,  to  accommodate  the  "  im 
migrants"  to  this  Western  Metropolis. 

*  In  a  valuable  and  highly  interesting  work,  "  Sketches  of  Rochester — 
by  Henry  O'Reilly," — to  which  work  the  author  in  this  place  ac 
knowledges  his  indebtedness  for  whatever  may  be  interesting  in  rela 
tion  to  this  city — the  following  sketches  of  a  thrilling  adventure  is 
given  in  illustration  of  the  remark  quoted  above  : 

Two  frame  buildings  had  been  erected,  one  of  which  was  occupied  by 
Isaac  Stone,  the  other  by  Enos  Stone. 

"  It  was  in  the  fall  of  1811,  that  Enos  Stone  had  a  patch  of  corn,  about 
six  acres  in  extent.  His  corn  patch  was  on  the  east  and  south  sides  of 
his  little  dwelling,  which  stood  near  the  bank  of  the  river,  beside  the 
fording  place.  Provisions  were  exceedingly  scarce,  and  not  to  be  had 
at  any  price,  except  to  prevent  starvation.  Mr.  Stone  looked  upon  his 
cornfield  with  anxiety,  knowing  well  the  extent  of  his  dependence  upon 
it  for  the  then  approaching  winter.  Towards  the  ripening  of  the  precious 
crop,  he  found  that  much  would  be  lost  from  the  depredations  of  the 
wild  beasts  ;  and  at  length  he  began  to  tremble  for  the  whole  field,  when 
he  found  that  a  she  bear  had  commenced  devastations  upon  it,  destroy 
ing  far  more  than  she  devoured.  For  a  while  he  kept  her  at  bay  by 
leaving  out  his  dog  ;  till,  at  length,  the  emboldened  creature  would 
chase  the  dog  even  to  the  door  step.  Finding  that  something  must  be 
done  ;  that  he  could  not  hope  for  half  a  crop,  if  such  depredations  con 
tinued  ;  and  that  he  could  not  sleep  with  such  an  animal  prowling  about 
his  dwelling ;  Mr.  Stone  turned  out  with  a  boy  and  a  trusty  gun,  to  at 
tack  the  intruder,  about  two  o'clock,  one  morning.  The  bear  then  took 
refuffe  in  a  tree,  whence  she  was  soon  dislodged  by  the  smoke  of  a  fire 
kindled  beneath.  She  fell  near  Mr.  Stone,  and  after  a  short  contest  with 
him  and  his  boy  and  dog,  fled  to  another  tree.  She  was  dislodged  from 
this  and  three  other  trees  by  kindling  fires  beneath — when,  more  pow 
der  being  obtained  from  a  neighbor,  (the  first  two  shots  proving  ineffect 
ual,  and  exhausting  all  his  own  powder.)  Mr.  Stone  had  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  his  annoyer  disabled  to  such  a  degree  as  to  fall  from  the  tree. 
But,  though  fallen,  the  bear  was  unconqucred  still ;  and,  when  no  longer 
able  to  stand,  the  ferocious  brute  fought  upon  her  haunches,  like  that 
redoubted  soldier,  who, 

'  When  his  legs  were  cutted  off,  did  fight  upon  the  stumps ! ' 

She  kept  the  dog  at  bay,  and  parried  the  blows  of  her  assailants,  with  a 
degree  of  skill  not  unworthy  of  a  professional  boxer.  But  her  shaggy 
hide  soon  became  the  trophy  of  him  whose  cornfield  she  had  measurably 
devastated." 


268  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

ROCHESTER. 

Iii  1810,  Rochester  was  a  desert.  "  The  first  allotments 
for  a  village  were  made  in  1812  ;  when  Nathaniel  Rochester, 
Charles  H.  Carroll,  and  William  Fitzhurgh,  surveyed  the 
'Hundred  Acre  Tract '  for  settlement,  under  the  name  of 
'  Rochester.'  The  above  tract,  according  to  the  work  al 
ready  cited,  was  land  which  two  men  by  the  name  of  Plumps 
and  Gorham  deeded  to  Indian  Allen  in  1790,  on  considera 
tion  of  having  a  mill  erected  to  accommodate  the  few  settlers 
in  the  surrounding  country.  It  was  part  of  a  larger  tract  of 
twelve  by  twenty-four  miles,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Genesee, 
which  Phelps  and  Gorham  had  previously  obtained  from  the 
Indians  for  the  purpose  of  a  mill-yard  !  It  had  passed  from 
Allen  into  the  possession  of  Sir  William  Pultney,  from  the 
agent  of  whose  estate  (Charles  Williamson)  it  was  purchased 
in  1812,  for  $5 17  50  per  acre,  by  the  persons  who  thus  made 
arrangements  for  founding  a  village  upon  it." 

"  Two  other  tracts  adjoining  the  mill-lot,  and  laid  out  also 
in  1812,  together  with  a  tract  laid  out  in  1816,  were  in 
cluded  with  the  primitive  settlement  in  the  boundaries  as 
signed  to  Rochester  by  the  law  which  created  it  a  village  in 
1817.  Some  of  the  land  on  the  east  side  of  the  Genesee,  in 
Rochester,  (the  Hundred  Acre  Tract  being  on  the  west  side,) 
was  sold  by  Phelps  and  Gorham,  in  1790,  for  eighteen  pence 
an  acre." 

"In  1813,*  there  were  three  houses  built  and   occupied 

*  It  is  related  by  the  author  of  "  Sketches  of  Rochester,"  as  an  evi 
dence  of  the  condition  of  the  place  the  above  year,  that  the  Xcnrcas 
here  held,  in  the  month  of  January,  their  feast  of"  Sncrijice  and  Thanks- 
gir<:ntr."  It  was  indeed  their  hist — the  winding  up  of  those  pagan  and 
unhallowed  rites,  which  perhaps  for  centuries  nad  been  observed — of 
ferings  to  the  god  of  this  world,  and  evidence  of  the  ignorance  and  de 
basement  to  which  they  had  sunk.  In  a  few  years,  on  this  very  spot, 
the  temples  of  the  Living  God  would  point  their  spires  to  heaven,  and 
thousands  within  their  consecrated  walls  would  oiler  the  "  sacrifice"  of 
penitential  sorrow  for  sin,  and  a  song  of  ';  thanksgiving"  for  deliver 
ance1  from  the  bondage  of  the  prince  of  darkness. 

The  Author  thus  describes  the  ceremonial  of  the  Senecas  : 
"  Preparations  were  made  at  the  council-house,  or  other  place  of  meet 
ing,  for  the  accommodation  of  the  tribe  during  the  ceremonial.  Nine 
days  was  the  period,  and  two  white  dogs  the  number  and  kind  of  ani 
mals  formerly  required  for  the  festival ;  though  in  these  latter  days  of 
reform  and  retrenchment,  (for  the  prevailing  spirit  had  reached  even  the 
wigwams  and  the  altars  of  the  Senecas.) the  time  has  been  curtailed  to 
seven  or  five  days,  and  a  single  dog  was  made  the  scape-goat  to  bear 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  269 


ROCHESTER. 


on  the  west  side  of  the  river  ;  these,  excepting  a  mill-race 
opened  by  Rochester  &,  Co.,  were  the  only  improvements  in 
these  parts,  during  the  above  year. 

In  the  spring  of  1814 — the  war  between  the  United  States 
and  Great  Britain  being  in  progress — Sir  James  Yeo,  with  a 
fleet  of  thirteen  vessels,  appeared  off  the  mouth  of  the  Geri- 
esee,  threatening  the  destruction  of  the  rude  improvements 
in  and  around  Rochester.  Messengers  were  despatched  to 

away  the  sin  of  the  tribe  !  Two  dogs,  as  nearly  white  as  could  be  pro 
cured,  were  usually  selected  from  those  belonging  to  the  tribe ;  and 
were  carefully  killed  at  the  door  of  the  council-house  by  means  of 
strangulation  ;  for  a  wound  in  the  animal  or  an  affusion  of  blood  would 
spoil  the  victim  for  the  sacrificial  purpose.  The  dogs  were  then  fan 
tastically  painted  with  various  colors,  decorated  with  feathers,  and  sus 
pended  about  twenty  feet  high,  at  the  council-house  or  near  the  centre 
of  the  camp.  The  ceremonial  is  then  commenced,  and  the  five,  seven, 
or  nine  days  of  its  continuance  are  marked  by  feasting  and  dancing,  as 
well  as  by  sacrifice  and  consultation.  Two  select  bands,  one  of  men 
and  another  of  women,  ornamented  with  trinkets  and  feathers,  and  each 
person  furnished  with  an  ear  of  corn  in  the  right  hand,  dance  in  a  circle 
around  the  council-fire,  which  is  kindled  for  the  occasion,  and  regulate 
their  steps  by  rude  music.  Hence  they  proceed  to  every  wigwam 
in  the  camp ;  and,  in  like  manner,  dance  in  a  circle  around  each  fire. 
Afterward,  on  another  day,  several  men  clothe  themselves  in  the  skins 
of  wild  beasts,  cover  their  faces  with  hideous  masks,  and  their  hands 
with  the  shell  of  the  tortoise,  and  in  this  garb  they  go  among  the  wig 
wams,  making  horrid  noises,  taking  the  fuel  from  the  fire,  and  scattering 
the  embers  and  ashes  about  the  floor,  for  the  purpose  of  driving  away 
evil  spirits.  The  persons  performing  these  operations  are  supposed  not 
only  to  drive  off  the  evil  spirit,  but  to  concentrate  within  themselves  all 
the  sins  of  the  tribe.  These  sins  are  afterwards  all  transferred  into  one  of 
their  own  number,  who,  by  some  magical  dexterity  or  sleight-of-hand, 
works  off  from  himself  into  the  dogs  the  concentrated  wickedness  of  the 
tribe  !  The  scape-goat  dogs  are  then  placed  on  a  pile  of  wood,  to  which  fire 
is  applied,  while  the  surrounding  crowd  throw  tobacco  or  other  incense 
upon  the  flame,  the  scent  of  which  is  deemed  to  co-operate  with  the 
sacrifice  of  the  animals,  in  conciliating  the  favor  of  Nauwanew  or  the 
Great  Spirit.  When  the  dogs  are  partly  consumed,  one  is  taken  off 
and  put  into  a  large  kettle,  with  vegetables  of  various  kinds,  and  all 
around  devour  the  contents  of  the  <  reeking  caldron.'  After  this,  the 
Indians  perform  the  dances  of  war  and  peace,  and  smoke  the  calumet  : 
then,  free  from  wickedness,  they  repair  to  their  respective  places  of 
abode,  prepared  for  the  events  of  the  new  year. 

"  The  wild  spot  where  these  pagan  rites  were  performed  only  twenty- 
six  years  ago,  has  been  transformed  for  the  purposes  of  civili^d  man, 
and  is  now  surrounded  or  covered  by  some  of  the  fairest  mansions  and 
the  noblest  temples  of  Western  New  York." — Whence,  one  naturally 
asks,  did  the  Senecas  derive  this  ceremonial  ?  Could  it  be  that  it  was 
handed  down  by  tradition,  through  some  untraceable  channel,  from  the 
days  of  him  who  received  the  "  ceremonial  law"  on  the  top  of  Sinai? 


270  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 

ROCHESTER. 

arouse  the  people  in   the   surrounding  country,  for  defence 
against  the  threatened  attack. 

"  At  this  time,  there  were  but  thirty-three  people  in  Roch 
ester  capable  of  bearing  arms.  This  little  band  threw  up  a 
breastwork  called  Fort  Bender,  near  the  Deep  Hollow,  be 
side  the  Lower  Falls,  and  hurried  down  to  the  junction  of  the 
Genesee  and  lake  Ontario,  five  miles  north  of  the  present 
city  limits,  where  the  enemy  threatened  to  land  ;  leaving  be 
hind  them  two  old  men,  with  some  young  lads,  to  remove 
the  women  and  children  into  the  woods,  in  case  the  British 
should  attempt  to  land  for  the  capture  of  the  provisions,  and 
destruction  of  the  bridge  at  Rochester,  &LC.  Francis  Brown 
and  Elisha  Ely  acted  as  captains,  and  Isaac  W.  Stone,  as 
Major,  of  the  Rochester  forces,  which  were  strengthened  by 
the  additions  that  could  be  made  from  this  thinly  settled  re 
gion.  Though  the  equipments  and  discipline  of  these  troops 
would  not  form  a  brilliant  picture  for  a  warlike  eye,  their 
very  awkwardness  in  those  points,  coupled  as  it  was  with 
their  sagacity  and  courage,  accomplished  more,  perhaps, than 
could  have  been  effected  by  a  larger  force  of  regular  troops, 
bedizzened  with  the  trappings  of  military  pomp.  The  mili 
tia  thus  hastily  collected  were  marched  and  countermarched, 
disappearing  in  the  woods  at  one  point,  and  suddenly  emerg 
ing  elsewhere,  so  as  to  impress  the  enemy  with  the  belief 
that  the  force  collected  for  defence  was  far  greater  than  it  ac 
tually  was.  (The  circumstances  here  related  are  substan 
tially  as  mentioned  to  the  writer  by  one  who  was  then  and  is 
now  a  resident  of  Rochester.)  An  officer  with  a  flag  of 
truce  was  sent  from  the  British  fleet.  A  militia  officer 
inarched  down  with  ten  of  the  most  soldierlike  men  to  re 
ceive  him  on  Lighthouse  Point.  These  militia  men  carried 
their  guns  upright, as  might  be  consistent  with  their  plan  of 
being  ready  for  action  by  keeping  hold  of  the  triggers  !  The 
British  officer  was  astonished  :  he  '  looked  unutterable 
things.'  '  Sir,'  said  he,  'do  you  receive  a  flag  of  truce  un 
der  arms,  with  cocked  triggers  ?  '  '  Excuse  me,  excuse  me, 
sir:  we  backwoodsmen  are  not  well  versed  in  military  tac 
tics,'  replied  the  American  officer,  who  promptly  sought  to 
rectify  his  error  by  ordering  his  men  to  'ground  arms  !  ' — 
The  Briton  was  still  more  astonished  ;  and, after  delivering  a 
brief  message, immediately  departed  for  the  fleet,  indicating 
by  his  countenance  a  suspicion  that  the  ignorance  of  tactics, 
which  he  had  witnessed,  was  all  feigned  for  the  occasion,  so 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  271 


ROCHESTER. 


as  to  deceive  the  British  Commodore  into  a  snare !  Shortly 
afterwards, on  the  same  day,  another  officer  came  ashore  with 
a  flag  of  truce  for  farther  parley,  as  the  British  were  evident 
ly  too  suspicious  of  stratagem  to  attempt  a  hostile  landing, 
if  there  was  any  possibility  of  compromising  for  the  spoils. 
Capt.  Francis  Brown  was  deputed  with  a  guard  to  receive- 
the  last  flag  of  truce.  The  British  officer  looked  suspicious 
ly  upon  him  and  upon  his  guard  ;  and  after  some  conversa 
tion,  familiarly  grasped  the  pantaloons  of  Capt.  B.  about  the 
knee,  remarking,  as  he  firmly  handled  it,  '  Your  cloth  is  too 
good  to  be  spoiled  by  such  a  bungling  tailor,'  alluding  to  the 
width  and  clumsy  aspect  of  that  garment.  Brown  was  quick 
witted,  as  well  as  resolute,  and  replied  jocosely,  that  he  was 
prevented  from  dressing  fashionably  by  his  haste*  that  morn 
ing,  to  salute  such  distinguished  visiters  !  The  Briton  ob 
viously  imagined  that  Brown  was  a  regular  officer  of  the 
American  army,  whose  regimentals  were  masked  by  clumsy 
over  clothes.  The  proposition  was  then  made,  that,  if  the 
Americans  would  deliver  up  the  provisions  and  military 
stores,  which  might  be  in  and  around  Rochester,  or 
Charlotte,  Sir  James  Yeo  would  spare  the  settlements 
from  destruction.  'Will  you  comply  with  the  officer?' 
'Blood  knee  decpjirst!'  was  the  emphatic  reply  of  Francis 
Brown. 

"  While  this  parley  was  in  progress,  an  American  officer, 
with  his  staff,  returning  from  the  Niagara  frontier,  was  acci 
dentally  seen  passing  from  one  wooded  point  to  another ; 
and  this  with  other  circumstances,  afforded  to  the  British, 
'  confirmation  strong'  that  their  suspicions  were  well  found 
ed  ;  that  there  was  a  considerable  American  army  collected  ; 
and  that  the  Yankee  officers  pretended  ignorance  for  the  pur 
pose  of  entrapping  ashore  the  Commodore  and  his  forces  ! 
The  return  of  the  last  flag  to  the  fleet  was  followed  by  a  vig 
orous  attack  in  bombs  and  balls,  while  the  compliment  was 
spiritedly  returned,  not  without  some  effect  on  at  least  one 
of  the  vessels,  by  a  rusty  old  six  pounder,  which  had  been 
furnished  and  mounted  on  a  log  for  the  important  occasion. 
After  a  few  hours  spent  in  this  unavailing  manner,  Admiral 
Yeo  run  down  to  Pultneyville,  about  20  miles  eastward  of 
Genesee  river,  vvhere,on  learning  how  they  had  been  outwit 
ted  and  deterred  from  landing  by  such  a  handful  of  militia, 
their  mortification  could  scarcely  restrain  all  hands  from  a 
hearty  laugh  at  the  *  Yankee  trick.'  " 


272  TRAVELS  AND   SKETCHES 


ROCHKSTKR. 


On  the  close  of  the  war,  during  which  an  effectual  stop 
had  been  put  to  nearly  every  begun  and  certainly  every  con 
templated  improvement,  the  courage,  enterprise,  and  indus 
try  of  the  interested  again  revived. 

""  In  1815,  Hervey  Ely,  Josiah  Bissell,  and  Elisha  Ely,  fin 
ished  the  '  red  mill,'  (afterwards  called  the  Hydraulic  Build 
ing,  and  now  burnt,)  Samuel  Hildreth,  of  Pittsford,  com 
menced  running  a  stage  with  a  mail  twice  a  week  between 
Rochester  and  Canandaigua;  and  a  private  weekly  mail 
route  was  established  between  Rochester  and  Lewiston,  de 
pendent  for  support  on  the  income  of  the  post-offices  on  the 
route. 

"In  1816,  the  first  religious  society  (Presbyterian)  was 
formed,  consisting  of  16  members — a  small  paper,called  the 
Rochester  Gazette,  was  commenced — a  mill-race  was  finish 
ed  by  Brown  and  Mum  ford,  and  a  cotton  factory  was  com 
menced  on  the  Frankfort  Tract, — a  tavern  was  opened  by 
Abelard  Reynolds  on  the  '  Hundred  Acre  Tract,'  Buffalo 
street — a  commencement  was  made  in  the  business  of  pur 
chasing  produce  from  the  neighboring  country.  The  popu 
lation,  numbering  331  at  the  beginning  of  the  year,  was  not 
ascertained  at  the  close." 

The  real  prosperity  of  Rochester  may  be  said  to  take  date 
in  1817,  at  which  time  it  was  invested  with  village  privileges 
by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  ;  and  so  rapidly  had  it  in 
creased  by  1834,  that  it  was  deemed  important  to  its  welfare, 
to  be  erected  into  a  city.  Accordingly,  this  latter  year,  it 
received  a  charter.  The  first  mayor  was  Jonathan  Child, 
who,  on  the  occasion  of  his  inauguration,  among  other  re 
marks,  made  the  following  on  the  growth  and  prosperity  of 
the  city : 

"  The  rapid  progress  which  our  place  has  made,  from  a 
wilderness  to  an  incorporated  city,"  said  the  Mayor,  "  author 
izes  each  of  our  citizens  proudly  to  reflect  upon  the  agency 
he  has  had  in  bringing  about  this  great  and  interesting 
change.  ROCHESTER,  we  all  know,  has  had  little  aid  in  its 
permanent  improvement  from  foreign  capital.  It  has  been 
settled  and  built,  for  the  most  part,  by  mechanics,  and  mer 
chants,  whose  capital  was  ECONOMY,  INDUSTRY,  and  PERSE 
VERANCE.  It  is  their  labor  and  skill,  which  has  converted  a 
wilderness  into  a  city;  and  to  them,  surely,  this  must  be  a 
day  of  pride  and  joy.  They  have  founded  and  reared  a  city 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  273 


ROCHESTKR. 


before  they  have  passed  the  meridian  of  life.  In  other  coun 
tries  and  times,  the  city  of  Rochester  would  have  been  the 
result  of  the  labor  and  accumulations  of  successive  genera 
tions  ;  but  the  MEN  WHO  FELLED  THE  FOREST,  that  grew  on 
the  spot  where  \ve  are  assembled,  ARE  SITTING  AT  THE  COUN 
CIL  BOARD  OF  OUR  CITY.  Well,  then,  may  we  indulge  an 
honest  pride,  as  we  look  back  upon  our  history,  and  let  the 
review  elevate  our  hopes,  and  animate  our  exertions.  To 
gether  we  have  struggled  through  the  hardships  of  an  infant 
settlement,  and  the  embarrassments  of  straitened  circumstan 
ces  ;  and  together  let  us  rejoice  and  be  happy,  in  the  glorious 
reward  that  has  crowned  our  labors." 

"  The  formation  of  religious  institutions  was  commenced 
about  the  year  1816,  when  there  were  about  331  inhabitants, 
by  the  organization  of  a  Church  and  the  settlement  of  a  cler 
gyman, — Rev.  Comfort  Williams.  The  communicants  of 
this  first  Church  were  but  sixteen  in  number,  and  these  were 
scattered  about  the  country — some  of  them  residing  on  the 
Ridge  Road  in  the  town  of  Brighton  and  Greece.  The  first 
permanent  religious  edifices  were  erected  about  1822, — the 
three  previously  erected  having  been  temporary  buildings 
of  wood.  The  few  years  which  have  passed  since  then  have 
been  wonderfully  eventful  in  its  ecclesiastical  affairs. — 
There  are  now  not  less  than  twenty-two  religious  societies, 
whose  structures  embellish  the  appearance  of  the  city,  while 
their  spirituality  extends  a  hallowed  influence  over  its  social 
relations.  Seminaries  and  societies  of  value  in  literature 
and  science,  and  Sabbath  schools  effecting  much  good  with 
little  means,  indicate  that  there  are  here  actively  in  opera 
tion  such  causes  as  have  rendered  New-England  celebrated 
in  the  annals  of  education — illustrious  in  the  empire  of  the 
mind." 

The  people  of  Rochester,  appreciating  the  importance  of 
education,  as  intimately  connected  with  the  order,  industry, 
an-d  morality  of  their  city,  have  with  laudable  zeal  and  on  a 
liberal  scale,  furnished  the  means  of  intellectual  improve 
ment.  There  is  the  Rochester  High  School — the  Roches 
ter  Female  Academy — the  Alexander  Street  Female  Semi 
nary,  each  of  which  has  a  handsome  and  commodious  build 
ing,  and  able  and  accomplished  instructors — besides  which 
there  are  eighteen  select  schools,  and  thirteen  common 

18 


274  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


KOCHF.STEK. 


schools,  and  not  less  than  twenty  Sabbath  schools.  The 
benefits  of  the  higher  schools  are  taken  advantage  of  by  the 
surrounding  country,  and  pupils  even  from  Canada  resort 
here  for  instruction. 

"  The  business  of  Rochester  may  be  estimated  by  a  few 
facts.  This  city  is  interested  by  a  larger  extent  than  any 
other  in  the  carrying  trade  of  the  Erie  canal, — the  great 
thoroughfare  between  the  seaboard  and  the  inland  waters. 
About  one  half  of  the  whole  amount  of  stock  in  all  the  trans 
portation  liues  on  that  water  way  is  owned  or  controlled  by 
its  citizens.  Rochester  is  to  the  canal  what  Buffalo  is  to 
the  lakes.  The  staple  product  is  remarkable  for  its  quanti 
ty  as  well  as  quality.  The  celebrity  of  the  Genesee  wheat 
is  increased  by  the  skill  with  which  it  is  here  prepared  for 
market.  Rochester  is  already,  not  merely  the  best,  but  the 
largest  flour  manufactory  in  the  world. 

"  In  various  departments  of  manufactures,  such  as  edge 
tools,  carpeting,  fire-engines,  firearms,  cloths,  leather,  paper, 
pianos,  &,c.,  considerable  energy  is  manifested. 

"  The  style  of  the  structures,  public  and  private,  is  indica 
tive  of  the  good  sense  and  correct  taste  of  the  citizens.  It 
may  readily  be  inferred,  that  among  a  people  so  prosperous 
in  business  of  such  varied  and  important  character,  the  com 
forts  of  good  dwellings  and  tastefully  arranged  premises  are 
largely  appreciated  and  enjoyed.  A  degree  of  architectural 
taste  and  solid  construction  has  been  strikingly  evinced  in 
most  of  the  larger  dwellings  erected  within  a  few  years  past. 
The  smaller  buildings,  which  men  of  moderate  means  are  en 
couraged  to  erect  through  the  facilities  of  obtaining  suitable 
materials,  are  generally  neat  and  comfortable.  Instead  of 
wooden  buildings,  such  as  might  be  expected  in  a  newly  set 
tled  '  wooden  country,' — buildings  cheaply  erected  and 
serving  well  enough  perhaps  for  a  generation, — the  congre 
gations  have  generally  preferred  to  erect  massive  edifices, 
chiefly  of  stone — distinguished  for  size  end  beauty  as  well 
as  solidity. 

"  The  public  edifices  and  most  of  the  manufactories  and 
stores  are  erected  of  stone  or  brick.  The  law  has  for  some 
years  forbidden  the  construction  of  wooden  buildings  within 
certain  limits ;  arid  care  is  used  to  render  fire  proof  some  of 
the  most  valuable  structures. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  275 


ROCHESTER. 


"  The  immense  facilities,  for  trade  and  intercourse  fur 
nished  to  Rochester  by  canals  and  rail  roads,  and  the  benefits 
flowing  from  the  navigation  of  the  Genesee  river,  and  lake  On 
tario,  may  be  estimated  by  any  one  who  is  capable  of  compre 
hending  the  range  of  improvement  now  in  progress,  as  well 
as  that  already  completed.  Within  three  years,  if  not  in 
two,  chains  of  rail  roads  will  be  completed  so  as  to  unite 
Rochester  in  that  way,  with  the  Atlantic,  and  with  a  vast 
territory  in  the  west.  The  enlargement  of  the  Erie  canal, 
and  the  construction  of  the  Genesee  Valley  canal,  to  be 
completed  in  three  or  four  years,  will  form  a  new  era  in  our 
prosperous  history — giving  invaluable  impulses  to  all  branch 
es  of  our  business.  The  works  of  the  general  government 
for  improving  our  intercourse  by  steamboats  with  Ontario, 
have  rendered  the  Port  of  Rochester  an  excellent  harbor  for 
the  largest  vessel  of  the  lakes,  and  will  soon  be  completed 
at  an  additional  cost  of  about  $  160,000.  The  great  aque 
duct,  with  its  appendages,  for  the  enlarged  Erie  canal  across 
the  Genesee,"  will  also  be  completed  in  a  couple  of  years,  at  an 
expense  to  the  state  of  nearly  half  a  million  of  dollars.  The 
works  on  all  the  important  improvements  now  connected 
with  the  city,  will  incidentally  prove  of  great  value  in  various 
ways." 

We  have  not  yet  spoken  of  the  natural  advantages  which 
have  most  essentially  contributed  to  the  sudden  and  deep 
rooted  prosperity  of  Rochester.  THE  WATER  POWER  OF  THE 
GENESEE  may  be  considered  illimitable  for  all  practical  pur 
poses,  when  we  view  the  facilities  for  employing  it  to  the  great 
est  advantage.  It  may  be  used  at  various  points  along  the 
banks,  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  for  a  space  of  two  miles, 
between  the  north  and  south  lines  of  the  city.  Within  that 
distance,  the  aggregate  amount  of  the  different  falls  and 
rapids  of  the  Genesee  is  about  260  feet,  or  a  hundred  feet 
more  than  the  perpendicular  height  of  Niagara  falls.* 

*  "  Calculations  have  been  made  that  the  quantity  of  water  generally 
passing  in  the  Genesee  river  at  Rochester,  is  about  20,000  cubic  feet 
per  minute.  The  water  power  has  also  been  estimated  as  equal  to 
about  two  thousand  steam  engines  of  twenty  horse  power ;  and,  esti 
mating  horse  power  as  valued  in  England,  it  has  been  computed  that  the 
hydraulic  privileges  a.t  Rochester  may  be  made  worth  ten  millions  of 
dollars  per  annum.  Those  who  made  their  calculations  more  than  a 
dozen  years  ago,  did  not  include  more  than  one  half  the  fall  within  the 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  277 


ROCHESTER. 


On  these  falls  and  rapids  are  many  large  flou ring-mills, 
not  surpassed  in  the  world,  and  numerous  other  hydraulic 
works.  It  is  estimated  that,  independent  of  the  capital  invest 
ed  in  the  construction  of  these  mills,  it  requires  $2,000,000 
annually  to  keep  them  in  operation,  and  that  they  produce 
annually  to  the  amount  of  $3,500,000.  Rochester  is  finely 
situated  for  commerce.  Vessels  come  up  the  Genesee  .river 
from  Lake  Ontario  to  Carthage,  two  and  a  half  miles  below 
the  centre  of  the  city,  where  steamboats  arrive  and  depart 
daily,  and  to  which  there  is  a  railroad  from  the  city.  The 
river  is  beatable  above  the  city  for  forty-five  miles  to  Mount 
Morris.  The  Erie  canal  passes  centrally  through  the  city, 
giving  it  access  on  the  east  to  Albany,  and  thence  by  the 
Hudson  river  to  New  York  city ;  and  west  to  Buffalo,  and 
thence  to  the  upper  lakes  and  the  various  regions  connected 
with  them  by  canals.  The  chain  of  railroads  from  Boston 
to  Buffalo  passes  through  it,  and  gives  it  a  ready  access  to 
both  these  places,  and  to  all  others  on  the  route.  These 
facilities  for  transportation  have  completed  the  advantages 
derived  from  its  immense  water-power  and  the  eminently 
rich  agricultural  region  by  which  it  is  surrounded. 

city  limits — for  the  city  includes  double  the  amount  of  fall,  which  was 
contained  within  the  village  limits.  So  that,  even  by  the  calculations 
heretofore  made,  the  value  of  our  water  power  might  be  estimated  at 
about  double  what  was  formerly  stated.  But  the  increased  skill  with 
which  the  water  privileges  are  now  being  improved — the  extent  of  the 
fall  permitting  the  water  to  be  used  over  and  over  again,  in  some  cases 
three  or  four  times  on  the  same  lot,  if  required — renders  idle  all  calcula- 
lations  of  specific  value.  With  falls  and  rapids  causing  a  descent  of 
260  feet  within  the  city  limits,  the  water  power  of  the  Genesee  at 
Rochester  may,  for  all  practical  purposes,  be  considered  ILLIMITABLE. 

"  The  greatest  flood  ever  known  in  the  Genesee  river,  occurred  in 
the  fall  of  1835.  Nothing  equal  to  it  has  occurred  within  the  knowledge 
of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Rochester  and  its  vicinity.  Although  it  was 
unprecedented,  it  may  find  frequent  parallels ;  for,  as  the  country 
becomes  better  cleared,  the  water  (from  the  rain  or  thawing  snow) 
will  more  suddenly  find  its  way  to  the  river  than  could  be  the  case  from 
wild  land.  The  influence  exercised  on  the  character  of  many  streams 
by  the  improvements  of  the  country,  is  a  subject  worthy  of  attention. 

"  The  greatness  of  the  flood  of  1835  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact, 
that  the  quantity  of  water  which  then  passed,  was  estimated  at  two  mil 
lions  one  hundred  a,nd  sixty-four  thousand  cubic  feet  per  minute  !  Im 
agination  may  picture  better  than  pen  describe  the  foaming  and  roaring 
of  such  a  mighty  flood  washing  over  rapids  and  falls,  forming  at  Roches 
ter  a  descent  about  one  hundred  feet  higher  than  the  perpendicular  pitch 
of  Niagara." — Sketches  of  Rochester. 


278  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


Rochester  will  one  day  be,  in  respect  to  Western  New  York, 
what  New  York  herself  is  to  Eastern.  Indeed,  we  may  now 
inquire — using  the  language  of  the  book  which  has  enabled  us 
to  spread  out  so  charming  a  view  of  the  thrift  and  prosperity 
of  the  place — "  What  citizen  of  Rochester  can  find  any  cause 
for  envying  the  growth  or  prosperity  of  any  other  city,  either 
'Down  East/  or  in  the  'Far  West?'"  The  population  of 
Rochester  in  1850  was  30,403. 


BUFFALO. 

Buffalo  is  situated  at  the  east  end  of  lake  Erie,  and  at  the 
head  of  Niagara  river.  "  As  one  approaches  the  city,"  ob 
serves  Mr.  Greenwood,  "  a  wide  spread  sheet  of  water  opens 
to  the  sight.  If  the  traveller  has  never  seen  the  ocean, 
he  may  here  imagine  that  he  sees  it.  If  he  has,  he  will 
say  that  it  is  a  sea  view  that  lies  before  him.  As  he  looks 
to  the  west,  the  horizon  only  bounds  the  liquid  expanse  ;  and 
it  is  not  till  he  descends  to  the  shore,  and  marks  the  peculiar 
quiet  and  exact  level  of  the  even  and  sleeping  lake,  that  he 
will  find  any  thing  to  remind  him  that  he  is  not  on  the  coast 
of  the  salt  and  swelling  sea." 

Buffalo  is  west  of  Albany  284  miles,  and  distant  from 
Washington  376.  Like  Rochester,  it  is  of  recent  origin. 

In  1814,  during  the  late  war,  it  was  entirely  destroyed  by 
the  British,  excepting  a  single  house — that  of  a  widow  lady. 
This  destruction  was  by  way  of  retaliation,  for  the  burning 
of  Newark,  in  Upper  Canada,  by  the  Americans.  At  this 
time,  however,  it  contained  only  about  100  houses.  Its 
prosperity  dates  since  the  completion  of  the  Erie  canal  ; 
and,  from  that  completion,  its  prosperity  has  been  rapid  and 
surprising.  Rochester  has,  indeed,  outstripped  it;  but  from 
its  position,  it  is  designed  to  increase,  forming  as  it  does, 
;m<l  as  it  must  continue  to  be,  the  grand  emporium  of  the 
lake  commerce.  The  Buffalo  creek  affords  mill  sites  of 
great  importance,  and  a  canal  has  lately  been  formed  from 
the  falls  to  the  town,  on  which  are  important  hydraulic 
works.  The  harbor  of  Buffalo  is  furnished  with  a  lighthouse 
at  the  entrance,  and  has  been  much  improved  by  art.  For 
merly,  the  sand  of  the  lake  washed  in,  and  obstructed  its 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  279 


mouth  ;  this  has  been  in  a  measure  prevented  by  the  con 
struction  of  a  pier  extending  into  the  lake  1000  feet.  Buf 
falo  is  a  place  of  great  life,  enterprise,  and  activity.  Its 
harbor  is  thronged  with  steamboats,  and  all  manner  of  water 
craft,  as  its  streets  are  with  travellers,  emigrants,  and  men  of 
business.  Lines  of  steamboats  connect  this  place  with  De 
troit  and  Cleaveland,  touching  at  the  intervening  ports. 
Thousands  and  ten  thousands  of  emigrants,  travellers,  and 
men  of  business,  enter  Buffalo,  and  depart  on  board  her 
steamboats  for  the  "  far  west ;"  while  a  vast  amount  of  pro 
duce  is  shipped  westward,  and  thousands  of  bushels  of  wheat, 
and  barrels  of  flour,  and  other  articles,  are  sent  eastward  by 
the  Erie  canal. 

The  main  street  of  Buffalo  runs  along  the  ridge  of  the 
hill,  which  overlooks  lake  Erie,  and  is  ornamented  with  sev 
eral  fine  blocks  of  brick  stores,  handsome  dwelling  houses, 
together  with  several  public  buildings.  The  Eagle  Hotel  is 
a  noble  building,  finished  in  the  best  style.  Several  of  the 
churches  are  handsome  structures,  and  present  a  fine  appear 
ance.  A  large  piece  of  ground  has  been  left  in  the  middle  of 
the  town  for  a  public  square.  A  walk  has  also  been  laid  out 
on  the  brow  of  the  hill  towards  the  lake.  This  is  called  the 
Terrace,  and  affords  a  charming  view  of  the  lake,  the  harbor, 
and  the  canal  to  Black  Rock. 

The  canal  to  Black  Rock  lies  along  the  shore  of  the  lake. 
About  half  a  mile  from  Buffalo,  while  the  workmen  were  en 
gaged  in  the  process  of  excavation,  they  struck  upon  a  bed 
of  old  and  half  decayed  trees.  Into  this  bed  they  penetrated 
to  the  depth  of  six  feet,  and  along  a  line  of  nearly  half  a 
mile.  In  many  of  the  trees  and  branches  was  found  the  grain 
of  the  wood  in  a  state  of  preservation.  But  the  greater  part 
was  a  black  mass  of  matter,  which,  on  being  dried,  burnt 
with  great  readiness.  In  some  places  ashes  and  coals  were 
found ;  and  some  of  the  logs  appeared  to  have  been  washed 
and  rolled  by  the  waters  of  the  lake  before  they  were 
buried.* 

Black  Rock,  where  terminates  the  canal  in  a  basin,  is  a 
pleasant  village,  situated  on  the  margin  of  Niagara  river, 
three  miles  from  Buffalo.  For  a  few  years,  it  was  very 
flourishing,  while  it  was  expected  to  become  an  important 

*  Northern  Traveller. 


280  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

BUFFALO. 

place  ;  but  the  capital  and  business  have  since  been  transferred 
chiefly  to  Buffalo.  The  population  of  Buffalo  in  1850  was 
42,261. 

Situated  as  Buffalo  is,  it  is  apparent  that  it  enjoys  advan 
tages,  to  which  but  few  western  towns  for  many  years  will 
probably  be  able  to  lay  claim.  It  is,  and  is  likely  to  remain, 
a  grand  point  of  communication  between  the  Atlantic  and 
the  lakes.  By  the  great  canal,  it  communicates  with  New 
York  ;  by  the  Welland  and  Rideau  canals,  with  lake  Onta 
rio  and  Montreal ;  and  by  lake  Erie  and  the  Erie  and  Ohio 
canal,  with  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  valley. 

Near  Buffalo  is  the  "  Seneca  Reservation" — a  valuable 
tract  of  land,  guaranteed  to  the  Senecas,  the  westernmost 
tribe  in  the  confederacy  of  the  Five  Nations.  They  were 
formerly  considered  the  most  numerous  and  powerful  tribe, 
and  preserved  their  superiority  until  the  fatal  defeat  they  re 
ceived  from  General  Schuyler,  in  1778,  since  which  they 
have  made  a  less  conspicuous  figure. 

In  a  small  log  house,  in  a  retired  situation,  about  four  miles 
from  Buffalo,  there  lived  a  few  years  since,  lied  Jacket,  a 
chief  more  famous,  perhaps,  than  any  other  belonging  to  this 
tribe. 

During  the  Revolutionary  war,  Red  Jacket  was  opposed 
to  the  Americans,  as  was  his  tribe.  In  1784,  however,  a 
treaty  was  made  with  some  of  the  Six  Nations  at  a  council 
held  at  Fort  Stanwix.  At  that  council,  Lafayette  was 
present.  During  his  late  visit  to  the  United  States,  he  saw 
Red  Jacket  at  Buffalo.  The  latter  reminded  the  General  of 
the  above  council.  "  And  where,"  asked  Lafayette,  "  is 
the  young  warrior,  who  so  eloquently  opposed  the  burying 
of  the  tomahawk?"  "He  is  before  you,"  answered  the 
chief.  "  Ah  !  " — he  added  with  a  melancholy  air,  and  strip 
ping  off  a  handkerchief  from  his  bald  head, — "  Time  has 
made  bad  work  with  me — but  you,  I  perceive," — and  here  he 
narrowly  reconnoitered  the  General's  wig — "  You  have  hair 
enough  left  yet !  " 

A  few  years  subsequent  to  the  negotiation  referred  to  on 
this  occasion,  Red  Jacket  had  an  interview  with  General 
Washington,  who  gave  him  a  silver  medal,  which  he  wore 
ever  afterwards,  and  is  said  to  have  named  him  "  the  Flower 
of  the  Forest."  But  the  Senecas  were  again  hostile  soon 


GENERAL  SCHUYLER. 


282  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


afterwards,  and  it  was  only  at  the  expense  of  an  expedition, 
which  ravaged  their  territory  far  and  wide,  that  this  haughty 
people  were  at  length  subdued  into  any  thing  like  a  state  of 
composure.  Red  Jacket  is  believed  to  have  been  second  to 
none  of  his  countrymen  in  his  opposition  to  the  American 
interest,  down  to  that  period  ;  but  a  peace  was  granted  upon 
liberal  terms — some  complaints  of  the  Indians  were  adjusted — 
a  system  of  protection  was  devised  for  their  benefit — and 
thenceforth,  both  they  and  he  were  quite  friendly  in  most  in 
stances,  and  faithful  to  their  engagements  in  all.* 

Red  Jacket  was  distinguished  for  his  oratorical  powers. 
Once,  when  some  inquiries  were  made  respecting  his  deeds 
of  blood,  which  are  sometimes  supposed  to  constitute  the  char 
acter  of  an  Indian,  he  exclaimed  "  A  Warrior  !  I  am  an 
Orator  ! — I  was  born  an  Orator !  " 

Red  Jacket  always  strenuously  opposed  the  introduction 
of  Christianity  among  hjs  tribe.  On  a  certain  occasion,  a 
council  of  his  tribe  was  convened  at  Buffalo,  at  the  request 
of  a  missionary  from  Massachusetts,  with  a  view  of  recom 
mending  himself  to  them  in  his  religious  capacity.  The 
missionary  made  a  speech  to  the  Indians,  explaining  to  them 
the  objects  for  which  they  had  come  together,  in  conclusion 
of  which,  he  wished  to  hear  their  objections,  if  they  had  any 
to  make.  Having  spent  some  time  in  consultation  among 
themselves,  Red  Jacket  expressed  the  result  in  a  speech, 
as  follows : 

"  Friend  and  brother  !  "—he  began — "  It  was  the  will  of 
the  Great  Spirit  that  we  should  meet  together  this  day.  He 
orders  all  things,  and  he  has  given  us  a  fine  day  for  our  coun 
cil,  lie  has  taken  his  garment  from  before  the  sun,  and 
caused  it  to  shine  with  brightness  upon  us.  Our  eyes  are 
opened  that  we  see  clearly.  Our  ears  are  unstopped  that 
we  have  been  able  to  hear  distinctly  the  words  you  have 
spoken.  For  all  these  favors  we  thank  the  Great  Spirit,  and 
him  only. 

"  Brother  ! — This  council  fire  was  kindled  by  you.  It 
was  at  your  request  that  we  came  together  at  this  time.  We 
have  listened  w  ith  attention  to  what  you  have  said.  You  re 
quested  us  to  speak  our  minds  freely.  This  gives  us  gre,at 
joy,  for  we  now  consider  that  we  stand  upright  before  you, 

*  Thatcher's  Indian  Biography. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  283 


and  can  speak  what  we  think.  All  have  heard  your  voice, 
and  all  speak  to  you  as  one  man.  Our  minds  are  agreed. 

"  Brother  ! — You  say  you  want  an  answer  to  your  talk 
before  you  leave  this  place.  It  is  right  you  should  have  one, 
as  you  are  a  great  distance  from  home,  and  we  do  not  wish  to 
detain  you.  But  we  will  first  look  back  a  little,  and  tell  you 
what  our  fathers  have  told  us,  and  what  we  have  heard  from 
the  white  people. 

"  Brother  ! — Listen  to  what  we  say.  There  was  a  time 
when  our  forefathers  owned  this  great  island.*  Their  seats 
extended  from  the  rising  to  the  setting  sun.  The  Great 
Spirit  had  made  it  for  the  use  of  Indians.  He  had  created 
the  buffalo,  the  deer,  and  other  animals  for  food.  He  made 
the  bear  and  the  beaver,  and  their  skins  served  us  for  clothing. 
He  had  scattered  them  over  the  country,  and  taught  us  how 
to  take  them.  He  had  caused  the  earth  to  produce  corn  for 
bread.  All  this  he  had  done  for  his  red  children,  because 
he  loved  them.  If  we  had  any  disputes  about  hunting 
grounds,  they  were  generally  settled  without  the  shedding  of 
much  blood.  But  an  evil  day  came  upon  us.  Your  fore 
fathers  crossed  the  great  waters,  and  landed  on  this  island. 
Their  numbers  were  small.  They  found  friends  and  not  en 
emies.  They  told  us  they  had  fled  from  their  own  country, 
for  fear  of  wicked  men,  and  had  come  here  to  enjoy  their 
religion.  They  asked  for  a  small  seat.  We  took  pity  on 
them,  granted  their  request,  and  they  sat  down  amongst  us. 
We  gave  them  corn  and  meat.  They  gave  us  poisont  in 
return.  The  white  people  had  now  found  our  country. 
Tidings  were  carried  back,  and  more  came  amongst  us. 
Yet  we  did  not  fear  them.  We  took  them  to  be  friends. 
They  called  us  brothers.  We  believed  them,  and  gave  them 
a  larger  seat.  At  length  their  numbers  had  greatly  increased. 
TMiey  wanted  more  land.  They  wanted  our  country.  Our 
eyes  were  opened,  and  our  minds  became  uneasy.  Wars 
took  place.  Indians  were  hired  to  fight  against  Indians,  and 
many  of  our  people  were  destroyed.  They  also  brought 
strong  liquors  among  us.  It  was  strong  and  powerful,  and 
has  slain  thousands. 

"  Brother  ! — Our  seats  were  once  large,  and  yours  were 


*  Meaning  the  Continent — a  common  belief  and  expression  among 
the  Indians. 

t  Spirituous  liquor. 


284  TRAVELS    AN7D    SKETCHES 


very  small.  You  have  now  become  a  great  people,  and  we 
have  scarcely  a  place  left  to  spread  our  blankets.  You  have 
got  our  country,  but  are  not  satisfied.  You  want  to  force 
your  religion  upon  us. 

"  Brother  ! — Continue  to  listen.  You  say  that  you  are 
sent  to  instruct  us  how  to  worship  the  Great  Spirit,  agreea 
bly  to  his  mind  ;  and  if  we  do  not  take  hold  of  the  religion 
which  you  white  people  teach,  we  shall  be  unhappy  hereaf 
ter.  You  say  that  you  are  right,  and  we  are  lost.  How  do 
we  know  this  to  be  true?  We  understand  that  your  religion 
is  written  in  a  book.  If  it  was  intended  for  us  as  well  as 
for  you,  why  has  not  the  Great  Spirit  given  it  to  us  ;  and 
not  only  to  us,  but  why  did  he  not  give  to  our  forefathers  the 
knowledge  of  that  book,  with  the  means  of  understanding  it 
rightly?  We  only  know  what  you  tell  us  about  it.  How 
shall  we  know  when  to  believe,  being  so  often  deceived  by 
the  white  people  ? 

"  Brother  ! — You  say  there  is  but  one  way  to  worship  and 
serve  the  Great  Spirit.  If  there  is  but  one  religion,  why  do 
you  white  people  differ  so  much  about  it  ?  Why  not  all 
agree,  as  you  can  all  read  the  book? 

"  Brother ! — We  do  not  understand  these  things.  We  are 
told  that  your  religion  was  given  to  your  forefathers,  and  has 
been  handed  down  from  father  to  son.  WTe  also  have  a  re 
ligion,  which  was  given  to  our  forefathers,  and  has  been 
handed  down  to  us,  their  children.  We  worship  that  way. 
It  teaches  us  to  be  thankful  for  all  the  favors  we  receive,  to 
love  each  other,  and  to  be  united.  We  never  quarrel  about 
religion. 

"Brother! — The  Great  Spirit  has  made  us  all.  But  he 
has  made  a  great  difference  between  his  white  and  red  chil 
dren.  He  has  given  us  a  different  complexion  and  different 
customs.  To  you  he  has  given  the  arts;  to  these  he  has  r/bt 
opened  our  eyes.  We  know  these  things  to  be  true.  Since 
he  has  made  so  great  a  difference  between  us  in  other 
things,  why  may  we  not  conclude  that  he  has  given  us  a  dif 
ferent  religion,  according  to  our  understanding  1  The  Great 
Spirit  does  right.  He  knows  what  is  best  for  his  children. 
We  are  satisfied. 

"  Brother  ! — We  do  not  wish  to  destroy  your  religion,  or 
take  it  from  you.  We  only  want  to  enjoy  our  own. 

"  Brother  ! — You  say  you  have  not  come  to  get  our  land 
or  our  money,  but  to  enlighten  our  minds.  I  will  now  tell 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  285 


you  that  I  have  been  at  your  meetings,  and  saw  you  collect 
ing  money  from  the  meeting.  I  cannot  tell  what  this  money 
was  intended  for,  but  suppose  it  was  for  your  minister  ;  and 
if  we  should  conform  to  your  way  of  thinking,  perhaps  you 
may  want  some  from  us. 

"  Brother  ! — We  are  told  that  you  have  been  preaching  to 
white  people  in  this  place.  These  people  are  our  neighbors. 
We  are  acquainted  with  them.  We  will  wait  a  little  while, 
and  see  what  effect  your  preaching  has  upon  them.  If  we 
find  it  does  them  good,  and  makes  them  honest,  and  less 
disposed  to  cheat  Indians,  we  will  then  consider  again  what 
you  have  said. 

"  Brother ! — You  have  now  heard  our  answer  to  your  talk, 
and  tliis  is  all  we  have  to  say  at  present.  As  we  are  going 
to  part,  we  will  come  and  take  you  by  the  hand,  and  hope 
the  Great  Spirit  will  protect  you  on  your  journey,  and  return 
you  safe  to  your  friends." 

This  was  emphatically  a  pagan  speech;  but,  independent 
of  the  lamentable  hostility  evinced  towards  Christianity, 
there  were  embodied  in  it  not  a  few  solemn  and  pointed 
truths.  On  another  occasion  it  is  related  that  a  young  cler 
gyman  attempted  to  enlighten  this  chief  through  the  medium 
of  an  Indian  interpreter,  named  Jack  Berry, — for  Red  Jacket, 
though  he  understood  the  English  language,  was  ever  re 
luctant  to  speak  it.  "  Brother  !  " — said  Jack,  in  behalf  of 
the  chief, — "  if  you  white  people  murdered  the  Saviour, 
make  it  up  yourselves.  We  had  nothing  to  do  with  it.  If 
he  had  come  among  us,  we  should  have  treated  him  better." 

During  the  last  war  with  England,  Col.  Snelling,  a  gallant 
officer  of  the  American  army,  stationed  on  the  Niagara 
frontier,  shewed  some  peculiarly  gratifying  attentions  to  Red 
Jacket.  The  former  being,  soon  afterwards,  ordered  to 
Governor's  Island,  the  chief  came  to  bid  him  farewell. 
"  Brother,"  said  he,  "  I  hear  you  are  going  to  a  place  called 
Governor's  Island.  I  hope  you  will  be  a  governor  yourself. 
I  am  told  you  whites  consider  children  a  blessing.  I  hope 
you  will  have  one  thousand  at  least.  Above  all,  wherever 
you  go,  I  hope  you  will  never  find  whiskey  more  than  two 
shillings  a  quart." 

During  the  concluding  years  of  Red  Jacket's  life,  he  be 
came  a  victim  to  intemperance.  In  consequence  of  his 


286  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


habits,  in  1827  he  was  deprived  of  his  civil  rank,  by  his  na 
tion.  Subsequently,  however,  he  was  restored  to  his  former 
rank,  in  consequence,  it  is  said,  of  an  address  he  made  in  a 
council  of  chiefs,  marked  with  all  the  fire  and  eloquence 
of  his  better  days. 

He  visited  the  Atlantic  cities  for  the  last  time,  as  late  as 
the  spring  of  1829.  He  was  now  more  than  70  years  of 
age.  Years  had  done  much  to  waste  the  vigor  of  his  con 
stitution,  but  intemperance  more.  "  He  died  in  January, 
1830,  at  the  Seneca  Village,  near  Buffalo,  where  his  funeral 
took  place  on  the  21st  of  the  month.  It  was  attended  by  all 
parties  of  his  own  tribe,  and  by  many  Americans,  drawn  to 
gether  by  a  curiosity  to  witness  the  obsequies.  His  body 
was  removed  from  his  cabin  into  the  mission  house,  where 
religious  services  were  performed.  In  these  the  pagans 
took  but  little  interest.  Wrapped  in  profound  and  solemn 
thought,  they,  however,  patiently  awaited  their  termination. 
Some  of  them  arose,  and  successively  addressed  their  coun 
trymen  in  their  own  language.  They  recounted  the  exploits 
and  virtues  of  him,  whose  remains  they  were  now  about  to 
bear  to  his  last  home.  They  remembered  his  own  prophetic 
appeal—"  Who  shall  take  my  place  among  my  people?" 
They  thought  of  the  ancient  glory  of  their  nation  ;  and  they 
looked  around  them  on  its  miserable  remnant.  The  im 
pression  was  irresistible.  Tears  trickled  down  the  cheeks 
of  the  grave  comrades  of  the  dead. 

"  Well  might  they  weep!  He  that  lay  before  them  was 
indeed  the  '  last  of  the  Senecas.'  The  strong  warrior's  arm 
was  mouldering  in  the  dust,  and  the  eye  of  the  orator  was 
cold  and  motionless  forever."* 

*  Thatcher's  Indian  Biography. 


NEW    JERSEY. 


TRENTON, 

TRENTON  was  founded  a  few  years  prior  to  1720,  by  an 
enterprising  trader  of  the  name  of  William  Trent,  after 
whom  the  place  was  named.  Previously  to  his  settlement, 
the  place  bore  the  name  of  Littlcworth,  indicative,  probably, 
of  the  little  estimation  in  which  it  was  held. 

In  1748,  the  Swedish  traveller  Kalm  visited  this  place ; 
he  represents  it  as  a  long,  narrow  town,  containing  about 
100  houses.  At  that  time,  the  principal  occupation  of  the 
inhabitants  was  the  transportation  of  passengers  and  goods 
from  Philadelphia  to  New  York,  or  from  the  latter  to  the 
former  place.  Vessels  called  yachts  plied  between  Tren 
ton  and  Philadelphia.  Each  passenger  paid  one  and  six 
pence,  besides  a  charge  for  his  baggage.  Provision  was 
made  by  the  traveller  for  his  own  support  during  the  pas 
sage. 

Trenton  was  incorporated  in  1792.  It  is  the  capital  of 
the  State,  and  is  situated  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Delaware, 
at  the  head  of  steamboat  and  sloop  navigation.  It  is  60 
miles  south-west  of  New  York;  30 north  of  Philadelphia; 
and  166  north-east  of  Washington.  The  town  is  of  consid 
erable  size  and  importance.  The  principal  streets  are  regu 
larly  laid  out,  and  contain  many  handsome  houses,  and  nu 
merous  stores.  The  Delaware  and  Raritan  canal,  extending 
from  Trenton  to  New  Brunswick,  crosses  the  city,  and  is 
here  joined  by  a  feeder,  which  enters  the  river  above  the 
falls.  These  falls  afford  water  power  for  extensive  manufac 
turing  privileges. 

The  villages  of  Mill-hill,  Bloomsbury,  and  Lamberton,  ex- 
tending  a  mile  and  a  half  down  the  Delaware,  are  suburbs  of 
the  city,  and,  with  Trenton  proper,  contain  1,000  houses  and 
6,000  inhabitants.  The  population  of  the  city  is  about  4,000. 

The  Philadelphia  steamboats  ply  daily  between  that  city 

287 


288  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


and  Trenton — one  from  Lamberton,and  others  from  Blooms- 
bury.  Stages  run  three  times  a  day  by  the  rail  road  to  New- 
York  and  Philadelphia. 

For  some  years,  Trenton  was  far  from  being  in  a  flourish 
ing  state ;  but  recently,  new  life  has  been  imparted  to  the 
business  and  enterprise  of  the  place — the  population  is  some 
what  increasing,  and  an  air  of  thrift  and  industry  pervades 
the  city.  In  1850  the  population  was  6,406. 

Trenton  is  memorable  in  the  annals  of  the  Revolutionary 
war  for  the  capture,  on  the  25th  of  December,  1776,  of  1000 
Hessians,  by  the  Americans,  with  the  loss  of  scarcely  a  man 
on  their  side. 

This  victory  was  the  more  remarkable,  as  it  was  effected 
at  a  period  in  the  American  war,  when  the  British  cause 
seemed  to  be  triumphant  on  every  side,  and  the  loyalists 
were  anticipating  triumph  to  themselves,  and  a  speedy  ter 
mination  in  their  favor,  of  the  contest  in  which  they  were 
engaged. 

General  Washington  had  been  compelled  to  abandon 
Long  Island,  and  to  retire  from  New  York.  Forts  Wash 
ington  and  Lee  had  been  surrendered,  with  a  garrison  of 
between  two  and  three  thousand  men.  From  White  Plains, 
Washington  had  been  obliged  to  retreat  to  Newark,  and  from 
this  latter  place  to  Brunswick,  Princeton,  Trenton,  and 
from  Trenton  to  the  Pennsylvania  side  of  the  Delaware, 
while  the  pursuit  of  the  enemy  was  so  much  urged,  that  the 
rear  of  the  American  army' was  often  in  sight  of  the  proud 
and  pursuing  foe.  Every  day  seemed  to  usher  in  some  new 
calamity,  and  the  cause  of  America  appeared  to  be  hasten 
ing  to  irretrievable  ruin.  The  most  discreet  no  longer  dis 
sembled  that  the  close  of  the  war  was  at  hand,  and  that  the 
hour  was  come,  in  which  the  colonies  were  about  to  resume 
the  yoke. 

"  In  the  midst  of  this  gloom  and  depression,  Washington 
alone  was  not  discouraged.  His  constancy  was  an  object 
of  admiration.  Far  from  betraying  any  symptoms  of  hesita 
tion  or  fear,  he  showed  himself  to  his  dejected  soldiers,  with 
a  serene  countenance,  and  radiant,  as  it  were,  with  a  certain 
hope  of  a  better  fortune."  It  was  apparent,  however,  to 
him,  that  a  crisis  had  arrived,  when  by  some  bold  and  well 
directed  movement,  his  waning  fortune  must,  if  possible,  be 


19 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  291 


retrieved — one  by  which  a  strong  and  exulting  foe  should  re 
ceive  a  sufficient  check  to  give  time  to  the  fallen  countenances 
of  the  Americans  to  rise  once  more,  and  their  hopes  to  take 
the  place  of  despondency  and  discouragement.  On  looking 
round  upon  the  different  points  where  portions  of  the  British 
army  were  stationed,  his  eye  fell  upon  Trenton,  where  Colo 
nel  Ralle,  a  Hessian  officer  of  great  merit,  was  cantoned, 
with  his  brigade  of  infantry,  and  a  detachment  of  English 
dragoons,  the  whole  consisting  of  a  corps  of  1400  or  1500 
men.  This  division  he  determined  to  attack,  and  in  order 
to  make  his  attack  with  more  order  and  effect,  he  divided  his 
army,  which  consisted  almost  entirety  of  the  Militia  of 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  into  three  corps,  the  first  and 
most  considerable  of  which  was  to  pass  the  Delaware,  at 
Mackenky's  ferry,  about  nine  miles  above  Trenton.  The 
Commander  in  Chief,  accompanied  by  Generals  Sullivan  and 
Greene,  had  reserved  to  himself  the  conduct  of  this  corps,  to 
which  a  few  pieces  of  artillery  were  attached.  It  was  des 
tined  to  attack  Trenton.  The  second  division,  under  the 
command  of  General  Irwin,  was  directed  to  cross  at  Tren 
ton  ferry,  about  a  mile  below  the  village  of  this  name,  and 
having  reached  the  left  bank,  to  seize,  without  loss  of  time, 
the  bridge  over  the  river  Assumpink,  in  order  to  intercept 
the  retreat  of  the  enemy,  when  he  should  be  dislodged  from 
Trenton,  by  the  division  under  Washington.  Finally,  the 
third  corps,  commanded  by  General  Cadvvallader,  was  order 
ed  to  pass  the  river  at  Bristol,  and  proceed  to  take  post  at 
Burlington.  The  night  of  Christmas  was  appointed  for  the 
expedition.  The  dispositions  being  made,  according  to  the 
plan  above  mentioned,  the  Americans  proceeded  with  ad 
mirable  order  and  silence  towards  the  Delaware.  The 
chiefs  exhorted  their  soldiers  to  be  firm  and  valiant,  to  wash 
out  the  stains  of  Long  Island,  of  New  York,  and  of  New 
Jersey  ;  they  represented  to  them  the  necessity,  the  glory 
and  the  brilliant  fruits  of  victory  ;  they  incessantly  reminded 
them  that  this  night  was  about  to  decide  the  fate  of  their 
country.  An  extreme  ardor  manifested  itself  throughout 
their  ranks.  The  three  columns  arrived  in  the  dusk  of  the 
evening  at  the  bank  of  the  river.  Washington  had  hoped 
that  the  passage  of  the  troops,  and  transportation  of  artillery, 
might  have  been  effectuated  before  midnight,  so  as  to  have 
time  to  reach  the  destined  points  by  break  of  day,  and  to 


292  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


surprise  the  enemy  at  Trenton.  But  the  cold  was  so  intense, 
and  the  river  so  obstructed  with  floating  ice,  that  it  was  im 
possible  to  cross  and  to  land  the  artillery  earlier  than  four  in 
the  morning.  All  the  troops  having  at  length  gained  the 
left  bank,  the  first  corps  was  parted  into  two  divisions,  one 
of  which,  turning  to  the  right,  inarched  towards  Trenton,  by 
the  road  which  lies  along  the  river  ;  the  other,  guided  by 
Washington  in  person,  took  the  upper  or  Pennington  road. 
The  distance,  by  either  route,  being  nearly  equal,  it  was 
hoped  that  the  two  columns  might  arrive  at  the  same  time.  It 
was  enjoined  them  to  engage  in  combat  without  any  delay,  and 
after  having  driven  in  the  outposts,  to  fall  immediately  upon 
the  main  body  of  the  enemy,  at  Trenton,  without  giving  him 
time  to  recover  from  his  surprise.  They  exerted  all  their 
efforts  to  arrive  before  day  ;  but  the  thick  fog,  and  a  mist 
mingled  with  sleet,  which  rendered  the  road  slippery,  re 
tarded  their  march.  The  two  divisions,  however,  readied 
Trenton  at  eight  o'clock.  Notwithstanding  so  many  ob 
stacles,  and  the  hour  already  so  late,  the  Hessians  of  Col 
onel  Ralle  had  no  suspicion  of  the  approach  of  the  en 
emy."* 

Colonel  Ralle,  however,  did  what  he  was  able.  Hastily 
drawing  out  his  Hessians,  he  advanced  to  encounter  the 
enemy  in  the  open  field  :  but  lie  was  mortally  wounded  in 
the  first  onset  ;  and  the  Americans  charging  the  Germans 
with  great  fury,  the  latter  betook  themselves  to  flight,  leaving 
upon  the  field  six  pieces  of  light  artillery.  They  attempted 
to  escape  by  the  road  of  Princeton,  but  Washington  per 
ceiving  their  design,  despatched  several  companies  to  pre 
occupy  the  road,  who  received  the  fugitives  in  front.  Thus 
surrounded  on  every  side,  the  German  regiments  of  Ralle, 
of  Anspach,  and  of  Knyphausen,  were  constrained  to  lay 
down  their  arms,  and  surrender  at  discretion.  The  loss  ui 
the  Hessians,  in  killed  and  wounded,  amounted  to  only  thirty 
or  forty  ;  but  the  number  of  prisoners  was  at  first  upwards 
of  nine  hundred,  and  even  exceeded  one  thousand,  wiien 
alJ  those 'were  collected  who  had  concealed  themselves  in 
the  houses. 

Washington  soon  after  marched  his  prisoners  to  Philadel 
phia,    where   through  the  streets  of  the  city  they  were  pa- 

*  Botta. 


294  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

TRENTON. 

raded  with  a  sort  of  triumphal  poinp,  followed  by  their  arms 
and  banners. 

This  victory  of  Trenton  was  properly  the  salvation  of 
America.  It  was  the  turning  point  from  depression  to  ele 
vation — from  retreat  to  pursuit — from  discomfiture  to  victory. 
From  this  time,  the  spirit  of  the  nation  was  roused — confidence 
was  restored — and,  in  the  sequel,  the  reign  of  tyranny  was 
terminated,  and  that  of  liberty  established. 

At  Princeton  the  British  suffered  another  defeat,  which  con 
siderably  aided  the  effect  of  the  battle  of  Trenton.  Cornwallis, 
in  a  rapid  inarch  towards  the  latter  place,  had  left  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Mawhood  with  three  regiments  at  Princeton.  General 
,  Washington  approached  Princeton  towards  daybreak  on  the 
morning  of  the  od  of  January.  At  that  time  Colonel  Maw- 
hood  had  begun  to  advance  towards  Maidenhead,  along  a  road 
to  the  left  of  that  by  which  the  Americans  approached.  His 
advanced  guard  discovered  the  Americans  and  thus  prevented 
a  surprise.  The  British  rushed  forward.  The  Americans 
quailed  before  the  first  shock,  and  became  disordered;  when 
Washington  hurried  to  the  front,  and  by  his  daring  position 
directly  in  front  of  the  enemy,  and  exposed  to  their  tire,  re 
called  his  men  to  their  duty.  They  wheeled  about,  and  both 
parties  fired  while  Washington  was  between  them;  but  he  was 
unhurt.  The  conflict  then  became  obstinate  and  general.  But 
the  Americans  were  at  length  victorious.  The  enemy  were 
routed,  sixty  killed,  many  wounded,  and  three  hundred  made 
prisoners.  The  remainder  escaped  to  Brunswick  and  Trenton. 
The  Americans  lost  the  gallant  General  Mercer,  and  had  about 
ninety  men  killed  or  wounded. 


PENNSYLVANIA. 


PHILADELPHIA. 

PRIOR  to  the  Revolution,  Philadelphia  ranked  as  the  first 
city  in  the  American  colonies,  in  point  of  population,  wealth, 
and  importance  ;  and  as  the  seat  of  the  first  Congress,  it 
claimed  the  honors  of  a  capital.  These,  it  has  been  com 
pelled  to  surrender  to  the  Federal  City,  while  New  York  has 
outstripped  it  as  a  commercial  emporium,  both  in  its  ton 
nage,  and  its  population.  In  the  amount  of  its  shipping, 
Philadelphia  is  now  the  third  city  in  the  Union;  in  popula 
tion,  the  second ;  but,  in  the  variety,  extent,  and  excellence 
of  its  manufactures,  it  is  still  the  first.  Boston  has  been 
styled  "  the  literary  capital  "  of  the  United  States,  so  far  as 
regards  native  publications,  although  the  reprinting  of 
European  works  is  carried  on  to  a  greater  extent  in  Philadel 
phia.  If  the  former  city  was  "  the  cradle  of  the  Revolution," 
the  latter  was  its  nursery.  New  York  has  been  called  the 
American  London  ;  Boston  the  Liverpool,  (it  might  rather 
be  styled  the  Edinburgh,)  of  America:  but  Philadelphia  can 
be  compared  to  no  English  or  European  city.  In  its  archi 
tectural  plan,  it  is  unique  ;  in  its  heterogeneous  and  motley 
population,  its  character  is  properly  and  truly  American.  By 
some  travellers,  Philadelphia  has  been  said  to  be  less  distin 
guished  for  the  hospitality  of  its  inhabitants  than  some  other 
cities,  and  therefore  a  less  agreeable  and  cheerful  residence 
for  a  stranger.  This  is  the  statement  of  both  Mr.  Duncan, 
and  Mr.  Howisori ;  but  Capt.  Basil  Hall  says,  "  the  greatest 
pleasure  of  its  inhabitants  appears  to  lie  in  giving  a  hearty 
and  most  hospitable  reception  to  strangers," — ''properly  in 
troduced."  All,  however,  unite  on  the  other  hand,  that  the 
Philadelphians  are  distinguished  for  their  quietness,  piety, 
and  morality. 

The  higher  classes  are  said  to  be  better  informed  and 
more  refined  in  their  manners,  than  those  of  New  York,  and 
entertain  fewer  national  prejudices.  If  less  ardent  and 
sprightly,  they  are  also  less  versatile  and  factious  than  those 
of  Boston.  ''The  lower  ranks,"says  Mr.  Howison,  "appear 

295 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  297 


PHILADELPHIA. 


to  have  a  remarkable  respect  for  religion  and  propriety  of  con 
duct ;  and  I  believe  '  that  crimes  and  violations  of  law  are 
more  rare  in  Philadelphia,  than  in  any  other  city  of  equal 
population  in  the  world.'  " 

No  two  cities  within  a  hundred  miles  of  each  other,  re 
marks  the  traveller  just  cited,  can  differ  more  than  New 
York  and  Philadelphia.  "  The  latter  has  far  less  appear 
ance  of  bustle  in  it,  than  the  former  ;  and  the  people  one 
sees  in  its  streets  are  even  more  sedate  and  respectable  in 
their  looks,  than  the  same  class  of  persons  in  New  York. 
Philadelphia  contains  no  street  that  equals  Broadway,  in 
splendor  and  variety,  but  it  possesses  some  superior  in  regu 
larity  and  elegance.  Chestnut  street,  which  is  the  finest  and 
most  fashionable  part  of  the  city,  comprehends  many  divisions 
that  will  bear  a  comparison  with  the  best  parts  of  the  New 
Town  of  Edinburgh  ;  and  the  interior  of  the  houses  is  pro- 
portionably  tasteful  and  commodious.  The  High  street  is 
the  great  place  of  business ;  and  in  it  is  a  market  which,  I 
suppose,  for  the  quantity  and  variety  of  articles  it  affords,  is 
not  exceeded  by  any  in  the  world,  being  about  half  a  mile  in 
length/' 

The  position  of  Philadelphia,  although  not  equal  to  that 
of  New  York,  is  well  chosen,  and  unites  many  natural  ad 
vantages.  The  city  stands  upon  an  isthmus  about  two  miles 
wide,  between  the  Delaware  and  the  Schuylkill,  five  miles 
above  their  confluence,  and  126  miles  from  the  sea.  Its  port 
is  excellent,  although  liable  to  the  inconvenience  of  being 
occasionally  shut  for  a  few  weeks  in  the  winter  by  the  ice, 
notwithstanding  that  it' lies  under  the  parallel  of  39°  57'  N. 
This  interruption  of  its  communication  with  the  sea,  occurs 
less  frequently,  however,  than  formerly,  and  lasts  for  a  shorter 
time  ;  and  as  the  surrounding  country  becomes  cleared  of 
its  forests,  the  severity  of  the  winter,  there  is  reason  to  believe, 
will  be  to  a  still  further  degree  mitigated.* 

The  course  of  the  two  rivers  at  the  city,  is  very  nearly  N 
and  S.,  but,  almost  immediately  above,  they  diverge,  the  Del 
aware  bending  to  the  N.  E.,  and  the  Schuylkill  to  the 
N.  W.,  thus  materially  facilitating  the  commercial  commu 
nication  with  the  interior  of  the  State,  and  with  New  Jer- 

*  Modern  Traveller. 


298  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


PHILADELPHIA. 


sey.  Both  rivers  are  navigable  up  to  the  city,  by  the  largest 
merchantmen.  The  Delaware  is  here  about  a  mile  in 
width  ;  the  tide  rises  and  falls  about  six  feet,  and  vessels  of 
about  1200  tons  can  come  up  to  the  wharfs.  It  is  naviga 
ble  by  large  sloops,  and  steamboats  to  Trenton,  about  30 
miles  above.  The  Schuylkill,  although,  above  the  city, 
comparatively  shallow  and  disturbed  by  rapids,  was  always 
navigable  by  small  vessels  and  rafts  to  a  considerable  dis 
tance  ;  and  through  the  spirited  exertions  of  a  company 
formed  in  1815,  the  navigation  has  been  so  greatly  im 
proved  and  artificially  extended,  that  boats  loaded  with  pro 
duce  ascend  to  the  coal-mines  of  Mount  Carbon,  beyond  the 
Blue  Mountains,  a  distance  of  110  miles,  64  of  which  are 
canal,  overcoming  a  fall  of  588  feet,  by  means  of  28  dams,  and 
120  locks:  A  branch  undertaken  by  the  Union  Canal  Com 
pany,  connects  the  Susquehanna  with  the  Schuylkill  at  Read 
ing. 

The  first  appearance  of  the  city,  stretching  along  the 
bank  of  the  Delaware  "  in  magnificent  extent,"  Mr.  llowi- 
son  thought  "  very  imposing."  Ships  of  every  description 
are  seen  at  anchor  in  the  river,  and  give  the  city  a  commer 
cial  and  busy  aspect.  Mr.  Duncan,  (who  visited  it  in  1818,) 
says  :  "  The  appearance  of  the  city  from  the  river  is  by  no 
means  imposing  ;  rather  the  opposite.  The  ground  is  gen 
erally  level,  and  the  mass  of  buildings  presents  a  dull,  heavy 
uniformity.  Most  of  those  along  the  bank  are  by  no  means 
elegant,  and  only  a  solitary  steeple  rises  above  the  dense 
horizon."  Thus  travellers  differ  ;  less  widely,  however, 
in  meaning,  than  in  words  ;  for,  while  there  is  nothing 
imposing,  in  the  sense  of  deceptive,  in  the  first  view  of  the 
city,  nothing  picturesque-  in  its  site,  nor  magnificent  in  its 
architectural  character,  it  is  very  conceivable  that  its  "  un 
broken  aggregate  of  buildings,"  with  all  the  signs  of  mer 
cantile  wealth  and  bustle,  must  derive  a  sort  of  grandeur 
from  its  very  extent  and  from  the  ideas  connected  with  the 
moving  scene. 

"  The  aspect  of  the  city,  however,"  continues  Mr.  Dun 
can,  "  improves  amazingly  when  you  enter  the  streets,  which 
are  wide,  straight,  and  clean,  and,  with  only  one  exception, 
cross  each  other  at  right  angles.  The  houses  are  generally 
of  painted  brick  ;  but  some  of  the  more  modern  have  a  flight 
of  marble  steps  in  front ;  and  the  lintels  of  the  doors  and 


300  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


PHILADELPHIA. 


windows,  and  even  the  sidewalk  in  front,  are  of  the  same 
beautiful  materials."* 

When  Perm  laid  out  the  ground  for  his  city,  he  intended 
tint  it  should  occupy  a  parallelogram,  one  mile  in  width, 
between  the  two  rivers,  and  that  the  buildings  should  be 
kept  within  the  parallel  lines,  till  the  intervening  space  was 
filled.  But  the  inhabitants  found  that  the  bank  of  the  Dela 
ware  was  a  more  desirable  situation  than  that  of  the  Schuyl 
kill  ;  and,  in  consequence,  buildings  have  stretched  along 
the  former  river,  above  and  below  the  assigned  boundary, 
till  the  city  is  hvre  about  four  miles  long,  while  upon  the 
Schuylkill  they  extend  but  half  that  distance.  By  a  singular 
governmental  arrangement,  Philadelphia  is  divided  into  the 
City  Proper,  and  the  districts  of  Southwark,  Moytmensing, 
Northern  Liberties,  Kensington,  Spring  Garden,  Perm,  and 
West  Philadelphia,  each  of  which  has  its  own  municipal 
government. 

"  Market  street,  100  feet  wide,  stretches  through  the  cen 
tre  of  the  city,  from  the  one  river  to  the  other  ;  it  is  crossed 
rather  nearer  the  Schuylkill  than  midway,  by  Broad  street, 
113  feet  wide,  and  the  other  streets  are  at  right  angles  to 
one  or  other  of  these.  The  cross  streets  are  from  50  to  (50 
feet  wide.  Those  running  parallel  to  the  rivers  are,  with 
a  quaker-like  simplicity,  (which, however,  affords  a  stranger 

*  Duncan's  Travels. 

t  "  The  venerable  elm,  under  which,  according  to  tradition,  Penn  ne 
gotiated  his  celebrated  treaty  with  the  Indians,  stood  at  Kensington  ;  and 
the  decayed  trunk,  after  being  spared  by  the  British  army  in  the  Revo 
lutionary  war,  and  weathering  many  a  hard  gale,  was  at  last  levelled  a 
few  years  ago  in  a  hurricane.  Portions  of  it  are  now  eagerly  sought  af 
ter  by  relic  hunters,  to  be  converted,  like  the  Cruickstone  Yew,  and 
the  rafters  of  Alloway  Kirk,  into  snuff  boxes  and  other  toys.  I  lately 
discovered  in  an  old  Baltimore  newspaper,  what  is  said  to  be  a  copy  of 
Penn's  treaty ;  it  is  in  the  form  of  an  indenture,  and  the  following  are 
the  articles  which  it  specifies  as  having  been  given  to  the  Indians.,  in  ex 
change  for  the  ground  between  the  two  rivers. *  as  far  as  a  man  can  ride 
in  two  days  with  a  horse  :  '  20  guns,  20  fathoms  matchcoat,  20  fathoms 
stroudwater.  20  blankets,  20  kettles,  20  pounds  powder,  100  bars  lead, 
40  tomahawks,  100  knives,  40  pairs  stockings,  1  barrel  beer,  20  pounds 
red  lead,  100  fathoms  wampurn,  30  glass  bottles,  30  pewter  spoons,  100 
awl-blades,  300  tobacco  pipes.  100  hands  tobacco,  20  tobacco  tongs,  20 
steels,  300  flints,  30  pairs  scissors,  30  combs,  60  looking  glasses,  200 
needles,  1  skipple  salt,  30  pounds  sugar,  5  gallons  molasses,  20  tobacco 
boxes,  100  jews-harps.  20  hoes,  30  gimblets,  30  wooden  screw  boxes, 
100  strings  of  beads.  This  curious  document  does  not  appear  in  Clark- 
son's  Life  of  Penn." — M<  use's  Picture  of  Philadelphia. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  301 

PHILADELPHIA. 

important  facilities  in  finding  his  way,)  named  Nortli 
and  South,  Front,  Second,  Third,  Fourth,  and  so  on,  as 
they  recede  from  each  river.  Those  parallel  to  Market 
street  are,  with  more  elegance,  named  after  the  various  kinds 
of  timber  with  which  the  ground  was  formerly  covered  ; 
Vine,  Sassafras,  Mulberry,  Chestnut,  Walnut,  Spruce,  Pine, 
and  Cedar.  Water  street,  between  Front  street  and  the 
Delaware,  which  should  have  been  called  Mud  lane,  and 
the  wharfs  project  into  the  stream,  are  deviations  from  the 
original  plan  of  the  city.  Dock  street,  the  only  crooked  one 
in  the  city,  was  originally  the  bed  of  the  sluggish  stream, 
which  generated  noxious  air,  and  was  a  few  years  ago  arched 
over." 

Not  many  wooden  houses  are  now  to  be  seen  in  the  streets  ; 
the  greater  part  were  extirpated  by  fires,  which,  on  different 
occasions,  spread  dreadful  havoc;  and  since  179(5,  their 
erection  has  been  prohibited.  The  sidewalks  are  wide  and 
less  encumbered  than  those  of  New  York.  Many  of  them 
are  skirted  with  fine  shade  trees.  In  hot  weather,  numer 
ous  awnings  are  stretched  along  in  front  of  the  stores,  the 
foot  walks  are  cooled  by  frequent  ablutions  with  water,  and 
the  atmosphere  has  a  freshness  and  purity  very  uncommon 
in  so  large  a  city. 

Market  street,  which,  to  correspond  to  its  situation, 
should  have  been  the  most  elegant  in  the  city,  is  disfigured 
by  a  long,  covered  piazza  in  the  centre,  of  the  plainest  pos 
sible  appearance,  under  which  the  venders  of  meat,  fish, 
poultry,  vegetables,  fruit,  earthen  arid  wooden  ware,  expose 
their  commodities  for  sale  ;  and  on  either  side  are  carts  and 
wheelbarrows,  loaded  with  additional  supplies.  Upon  the 
whole,  however,  the  streets  are  much  superior  to  the  mass 
of  those  in  New  York,  although,  individually,  not  one  of  them 
c:m  be  compared  with  Broadway,  nor  is  there  a  walk  or  a 
prospect  equal  to  what  the  Battery  affords. 

Philadelphia  abounds  in  public  buildings,  which  attract 
the  attention  of  the  stranger,  either  on  account  of  interest 
ing  historical  associations,  or  for  their  architectural  superi 
ority. 

Of  the  former  kind  may  be  mentioned  the  old  State  House, 
which  is  now  called  Independence  Hull,  and  from  whence 
tho  Declaration  of  Independence  issued.  It  is  in  Chestnut 
street,  built  of  brick,  comprising  a  centre  and  two  wings, 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  303 


PHILADELPHIA. 


and  has  undergone  no  material  alteration,  since  its  erection. 
It  has  a  venerable  appearance.  It  is  surmounted  by  a  cu 
pola,  having  a  clock,  the  dial  of  which  is  glass,  and  which  is 
illuminated  at  night  until  ten  or  eleven  o'clock,  showing  the 
hour  and  minutes,  until  that  time.  The  front  is  a  consider 
able  distance  back  from  the  street,  the  approach  being  paved 
to  the  curbstone  with  brick,  and  two  elegant  rows  of  trees 
extending  its  wholelength.  East  of  the  main  entrance,  in  the 
front  room,  the  sessions  of  the  congress  were  held,  and  the 
question  of  independence  was  decided. 

"The  banking  house  of  the  late  Mr.  Girard,"  remarks 
Mr.  Duncan,  "  presents  an  elegant  front,  almost  entirely  of 
white  marble.  A  lofty  Corinthian  portico,  of  fluted  columns 
rises  from  a  flight  of  steps  to  the  full  height  of  the  building, 
and  corresponding  pilasters  are  extended  on  both  sides. 
The  Bank  of  Pennsylvania  is  a  still  more  perfect  structure, 
and  makes 'a  nearer  approach  to  classical  models  than  any 
that  I  have  ever  seen.  The  whole  building,  including  even 
the  roof,  is  of  white  marble.  Its  form  is  a  parallelogram,  125 
feet  long,  and  51  feet  broad  ;  at  each  end  is  a  flight  of  steps 
supporting  a  chaste  Ionic  portico  of  six  columns,  with  an  en 
tablature  and  pediment.  The  entablature  is  carried  round 
the  building,  but  the  sides  are  otherwise  plain.  Under  the 
portico,  the  Grecian  character  has  been  carefully  preserved, 
and  in  neither  is  there  any  opening  but  a  single  door  in  the 
centre. 

**  This  magnificent  edifice  is  said  to  have  been  designed 
from  a  temple  at  Athens  ;  and  the  very  remarkable  correct 
ness  of  its  principal  features,  combined  with  the  appropriate 
and  beautiful  material  of  which  it  is  composed,  produce  a 
most  pleasing  effect  on  the  spectator's  mind,  and  forcibly 
impress  him  with  the  sad  inferiority  of  modern  decoration, 
to  the  simple  elegance  of  Grecian  models.  The  situation 
which  this  noble  edifice  occupies  is  low  and  confined,  and 
materially  injures  its  effect."  The  first  stone  was  laid  in 
April,  1799,  and  the  whole  completed  in  1801. 

The  building  erected  for  the  former  Bank  of  the  United 
States,  recently  purchased  for  the  Government,  and  now  oc 
cupied  as  a  Custom  House,  is  an  elegant  structure,  on  the 
plan  of  the  Parthenon  at  Athens,  so  far  as  it  could  be  consist 
ently  with  the  different  purpose  for  which  it  was  designed 


304  TRAVELS  AND    SKETCHES 

raiLADKLPBlA. 

It  is  esteemed  the  purest  specimen  of  Grecian  architecture  in 
the  country,  and  has  been  and  will  long  .be  admired  for  its 
beautiful  and  elaborate  finish.  The  front  is  a  portico,  the 
full  height  of  the  building,  consisting  of  eight  Doric  columns, 
twenty-seven  feet  in  height  and  four  feet  and  a  half  in  diam 
eter,  rising  from  a  flight  of  steps,  and  supporting  a  correspond 
ing  entablature  and  pediment,  all  of  the  Pennsylvania  white 
marble.  The  interior  arrangements,  while  used  as  a  bank, 
are  thus  described  : 

"The  door  of  entrance  opens  into  a  large  vestibule,  with 
circular  ends  embracing  the  transfer  and  loan  offices  on  the 
right  and  left,  together  with  a  commodious  lobby  leading 
to  the  banking  room.  The  vestibule  ceiling  is  a  prolonged 
panelled  dome,  divided  into  three  compartments  by  bands, 
enriched  with  the  quilloches  springing  from  a  projecting 
impost,  containing  a  sunken  frctte.  The  pavement  is  inlaid 
with  American  and  Italian  marble  throughout.  The  bank 
ing  room  occupies  the  centre  of  the  building,  being  48  feet 
wide,  and  81  feet  in  length.  A  double  range  of  six  fluted 
marble  columns,  22  inches  in  diameter,  form  a  screen  or 
gallery  for  the  clerks'  desks,  which  are  placed  within  the  in- 
tercolumniations.  These  column*  are  of  the  Ionic  order, 
with  a  full  entablature  and  blocking  course,  on  which  the 
great  central  and  lateral  arches  are  supported.  The  cen 
tral  arch,  being  semi-cylindrical,  is  28  feet  in  diameter,  and 
81  feet  in  length.  The  ceiling  is  &5  feet  from  the  floor  to 
the  crown  of  the  arch.  An  Isthmian  wreath,  carved  in  one 
entire  block  of  Pennsylvanian  marble,  surrounds  the  clock 
face,  which  occupies  the  space  of  the  first  pannel  over  the 
entablature  in  the  centre,  the  design  of  which  is  copied  from 
the  reverse  of  an  antique  gem,  found  at  Corinth,  and  de 
scribed  by  Stewart.  The  tellers'  counters  are  of  marble, 
forming  panelled  pedestals,  across  each  end  of  the  blinking 
room. 

"The  stockholders'  room  is  a  parallelogram  of  50  feet  by 
28,  having  a  groin  arched  ceiling.  The  banking  room  is 
amply  wanned  by  two  cast  iron  furnaces,  lined  with  brick, 
being  simply  erected  within  an  air  chamber,  through  which 
the  external  atmosphere  passes,  and  becomes  healed  by  the 
furnace.  It  then  rises  through  the  arch  into  a  circular  cast 
iron  pedestal,  perforated  on  the  sides,  out  of  which  it  is  suf 
fered  to  escape  into  the  room.  The  whole  body  of  the  build 
ing  is  arched  in  a  bomb  proof  manner,  from  the  cellar  to  the 


STEPHEN  G1RARD. 


20 


i 

306  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

PHILADELPHIA. 

roof,  which  is  covered  with  copper.  All  the  groin  arches  are 
girdled  at  the  springing  line  with  iron  straps,  passing  round 
within  the  body  of  the  division  walls."* 

There  is  a  third  bank,  the  oldest  in  the  United  States, 
culled  the  Bank  of  North  America  ;  the  establishment  of 
which,  in  1781,  aided  by  the  exertions  of  its  originator,  Mr. 
Morris,  is  believed  to  have  been  the  means  of  saving  the 
public  treasury  from  bankruptcy.  The  banking  house, 
however,  is  only  a  plain  brick  building,  recently  rough  cast, 
on  the  northern  side  of  Chestnut  street.  A  fourth,  the  Bank 
of  Pennsylvania,  is  described  as  "  a  neat  and  correct  speci 
men  of  the  Gothic  style  of  architecture."  There  is  also  a 
Masonic  Hall  in  the  same  style.  These  buildings,  Mr.  Dun 
can  says,  "  are  necessarily  on  a  small  scale,  and  the  fatal  in 
congruity  of  red  brick  walls  with  white  marble  buttresses  and 
pinnacles  must  strike  every  one  who  has  seen  an  ancient 
Gothic  building."t  To  remedy  this,  the  Gothic  bank  has 
been  recently  rough  cast  and  colored  in  imitation  of  marble. 

In  January,  1848,  there  were  in  Philadelphia  159  churches, 
of  different  denominations.  Since  then  the  number  has  been 
increased.  The  style  of  construction  of  the  churches  is  various, 
and  several  have  much  architectural  beauty.  The  church  of 
the  Assumption,  in  Spring  Garden  street,  near  Twelfth ;  the 
church  of  the  Advent  upon  the  Old  York  road ;  St.  Stephen's 
church,  in  Tenth  street  between  Market  and  Chestnut;  and  St. 
John's  church,  in  Thirteenth  street  between  Chestnut  and 
Market,  are  fine  specimens  of  Gothic  architecture.  A  splendid 
Catholic  cathedral  is  in  course  of  erection  near  Logan  Square. 
When  completed,  it  will  be  inferior  to  but  few  places  of  wor 
ship  in  the  country,  in  grandeur  and  finish.  Christ  church, 
in  Second  street,  was  built  in  1691  and  enlarged  in  1810.  It 
is,  therefore,  the  oldest  church  in  the  city.  Its  spire,  106  feet 
high,  was  commenced  in  1753,  and  completed  in  the  following 

*  Carey  and  Lea's  Philadelphia,  in  1824,  pp.  76,  79.  The  foundation 
stone  of  this  beautiful  edifice  was  laid  in  April,  1819,  and  it  was  fin 
ished  in  1824. 

t  "The  Masonic  Hall,"  says  Lieutenant  Hall,  "  is  an  awkward  com 
bination  of  brick  and  marble  in  the  Gothic  style  ;  that  is  plentifully 
tricked  and  flounced  with  niches,  pinnacles,  and  battlements,  and  a  spire 
80  feet  high.  The  Philadelphia  Bank  is  in  the  same  ridiculous  taste 
bating  the  absurdity  of  the  spire."— F.  Hall,  pp.  217,  218. 


IN   NORTH    AMERICA.  307 

PHILADELPHIA. 

year.  St.  Peter's  church,  in  Third  street  below  Pine,  has  a 
lofty  spire  and  a  chime  of  bells.  The  Lutheran  church,  in 
Fifth  street  near  Cherry,  was  one  hundred  and  six  years  old 
in  1850.  It  yet  presents  a  substantial  appearance.  At  the 
south-eastern  extremity  of  Southwark,  is  the  old  Swedish 
church,  built  by  the  first  settlers  of  Philadelphia.  It  has  fre 
quently  been  redecorated  and  painted,  but  retains  its  primitive 
form  and  appearance.  St.  Mark's  church,  in  Locust  street, 
above  Schuylkill  Seventh,  presents  a  very  impressive  appear 
ance.  It  is  built  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  and  in  the  old 
English  style  of  architecture.  The  Gothic  windows  are  paned 
with  stained  glass,  which  adds  greatly  to  the  effect  of  the  in 
terior  of  the  church.  The  Calvary  Presbyterian  church  in 
Locust  street,  now  in  course  of  erection,  will  probably  equal 
any  of  the  above.  There  are  many  other  churches  in  the  city, 
which  possess  both  elegance  of  design  and  extent  of  accommoda 
tion,  but  the  detail  of  their  merits  would  prove  uninteresting. 

A  second  Jewish  synagogue  has  been  recently  erected, 
40  feet  in  front,  70  feet  in  depth,  and  two  stories  in  height, 
"  built  in  the  Egyptian  style,  of  stone  from  the  falls  of  the 
Schuylkill.  The  principal  entrance  is  through  an  elevated 
doorway  formed  with  inclined  jambs  supporting  a  large  coved 
cornice,  in  which  is  sculptured  the  globe  and  wings.  The 
interior  embraces  two  semi-circular  blocks  of  seats,  display 
ing  to  the  north  and  south  of  the  ark  and  altar.  The  dome 
is  supported  with  Egyptian  columns  copied  from  the  temple 
at  Tentyra,  and  is  formed  by  semi-circular  archivolts,  join 
ing  a  richly  panelled  segment  extending  over  the  ark  and 
altar.  In  the  centre  of  the  dome  is  a  lantern  which  gives 
light  to  the  altar.  The  ark  is  situated  in  the  east  side,  im 
mediately  opposite  the  altar,  and  is  neatly  decorated  with 
pilasters,  supporting  a  second  cornice,  enriched  with  the 
globe  and  wings,  together  with  a  marble  tablet,  containing 
the  ten  commandments  in  Hebrew.  It  is  approached  by  a 
flight  of  steps  between  cheek-blocks,  which  support  two  hand 
some  tripods,  crowned  with  lamps.  The  galleries  are  semi 
circular,  extending  round  the  northern  and  southern  sides  of 
the  building,  and  are  supported  by  the  columns  which  extend 
to  the  dome."  One  scarcely  knows  at  which  circumstance 
to  admire  the  most,  that  a  Jewish  synagogue  should  be  erect- 

*  Philadelphia,  in  1824,  p.  55. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  309 


PHILADELPHIA. 


ed  on  the  model  of  a  heathen  temple,  or  that  this  whimsical 
combination  of  incongruous  styles  and  emblems,  sacred  and 
profane,  Egyptian  columns,  and  the  airy  dome,  should  be  met 
with  in  the  city  of  Penn."* 

For  the  benevolent  disposition  of  its  citizens  and  for  the 
number,  variety,  and  extent  of  its  charitable  and  literary 
institutions,  Philadelphia  has  long  been  distinguished. 
Among  these  may  be  mentioned  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital, 
founded  in  1750,  the  buildings  of  which  occupy  an  entire 
square  ;  the  university,  Girard  college,  the  medical  college, 
the  almshouse,  the  dispensaries,  Friends'  asylum  for  the 
insane,  humane  society,  orphans'  and  indigent  widows'  and 
single  women's  asylum,  the  institution  for  the  deaf  and 
dumb,  and  the  abolition,  savings  fund,  and  fuel  saving  socie 
ties,  besides  many  others.  Some  of  these  are  worthy  of  fur 
ther  notice.  The  institution  for  the  deaf  and  dumb  was  es 
tablished  in  1829,  and  incorporated  the  next  year,  with  a  grant 
of  68,000  from  the  State,  and  a  liberal  appropriation  for 
the  support  of  indigent  pupils  from  Pennsylvania.  The 
building  is  of  granite,  was  erected  in  1824,  is  96  feet  in 
front  by  63  in  depth,  and  is  a  chaste  and  beautiful  speci 
men  of  architecture.  Most  of  the  pupils  are  supported  by 
funds  derived  from  the  Stale ;  some  by  the  States  of  Mary, 
land  and  New  Jersey,  and  others  by  their  friends.  The  Uni 
versity  of  Pennsylvania  has  a  flourishing  medical  school  con 
nected  with  it,  having  usually  from  400  to  500  students.  It 
has  an  extensive  anatomical  museum  and  cabinet  of  natural 
history,  and  no  medical  institution  has  enjoyed  a  higher  repu 
tation  throughout  the  country.  The  city  is  well  supplied 
with  public  schools  and  academies,  some  of  which  are  well 
endowed. — Some  years  since,  it  received  a  munificent  be 
quest,  for  the  establishment  of  a  college  for  orphans,  by  the 
will  of  the  late  Stephen  Girard.  This  gentleman,  who  died 
in  1831,  by  his  will  bequeathed  the  sum  of  two  millions 
of  dollars  to  the  corporation  of  the  city,  in  trust  for  the 
endowment  of  an  orphan  college.  The  site  selected  by  Mr. 
Girard  for  this  object  is  one  and  a  quarter  miles  from  the 
city,  on  the  Ridge  road,  at  a  place  called  Peel  Hill.  It  con 
tains  forty-five  acres  of  land,  upon  which,  by  the  terms  of  the 
will,  buildings  are  to  be  erected  for  the  accommodation  of 

*  Modern  Traveller. 


310  TRAVELS  AND    SKETCHES 

PHILADKLPIIIA. 

300  pupils,  together  with  those  necessary  for  the  teachers, 
and  for  other  purposes.  The  corner-stone  of  this  colleee  was 
laid  on  the  4th  of  July,  1833,  and  the  whole  has  since  been 
completed.  The  centre  building  is  218  feet  long  by  160  feet 
wide,  and  is  surrounded  by  34  columns  of  the  Corinthian 
order,  with  beautiful  columns,  supporting  an  entablature: 
each  column,  including  its  capital  and  base,  is  55  feet  high 
and  6  feet  in  diameter.  There  are  four  rooms,  50  feet  square, 
on  each  floor,  and  the  third  floor  is  lighted  by  a  skylight,  con 
structed  on  a  level  with  the  roof.  No  wood  is  used  through 
out  the  building,  excepting  for  the  doors,  and  it  is  warmed  by 
means  of  furnaces  in  the  cellar.  There  are  four  other  build 
ings,  two  on  each  side  of  the  one  just  described,  128  feet  long 
by  52  feet  wide,  and  two  stories  high  above  the  basement, 
which  are  designed  for  the  residence  and  accommodation  of 
the  professors  and  pupils.  Upwards  of  $1,000,000  have  been 
expended  upon  the  buildings  alone;  but  it  is  very  questiona 
ble  whether  these  splendid  preparations  were  necessary  to 
promote  the  objects  in  view.  M'Culloch  expresses  the  opin 
ion  that  less  expensive  buildings  would  have  been  better  cal 
culated  to  teach  the  orphans  economy,  to  say  nothing  more ; 
and  in  this  opinion  every  disinterested  person  must  readily 
coincide. 

Of  the  public  works  of  Philadelphia,  there  are  none  of 
which  its  inhabitants  are  more  justly  proud,  than  those  at 
Fair  Mount,  by  which  the  city  is  supplied  with  water  of  the 
best  quality,  and  in  the  greatest  plenty.  Fair  Mount  is  in 
the  rear  of  the  city,  upon  the  bank  of  the  Schuylkill,  the 
neighborhood  of  which  affords  some  romantic  scenery. 
The  reservoirs  are  situated  on  the  top  of  a  hill  rising  from 
the  river,  a  part  of  it  perpendicular  rock,  to  the  height  of 
100  feet.  The  ascent  from  the  river  to  the  reservoirs  is  by 
a  flight  of  substantial  wooden  steps,  with  resting  places, 
over  one  of  which  is  a  temple.  The  reservoirs,  which  are 
surrounded  with  paling,  outside  of  which  is  a  gravelled 
walk,  contain  upwards  of  twelve  millions  of  gallons,  sup- 
pi  ving  the  city  through  72i  miles  of  pipes.  The  water  was 
formerly  forced  to  the  reservoirs  by  steam,  which  is  no  longer 
used  ;  it  is  now  raised  by  machinery  propelled  by  the  Schuyl 
kill.  The  machinery  is  simple,  and  is  turned  by  large  water- 
wheels,  of  which  there  are  five,  one  of  them  of  iron,  and  twen 
ty-four  tons  in  weight.  If  all  are  in  motion,  they  will  raise 
seven  millions  of  gallons  in  twenty-four  hours.  To  turn 


312  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 


PHILADELPHIA. 


them,  the  Schuylkill  has  been  dammed  its  whole  breadth, 
by  which  the  water  is  thrown  back  into  a  reservoir  lock, 
whence  it  is  admitted  as  it  is  required  to  operate  upon  the 
wheels,  and  is  discharged  into  the  river  below  the  dam. 
The  whole  expense  of  these  works,  including  the  cost  of 
works  abandoned,  was  $1,783,000.  The  water  thus  circu 
lated  through  the  city,  is  not  only  sufficient  for  every  family, 
but  is  used  to  wash  the  streets.  It  is  of  immense  service  in 
case  of  fire,  as  it  is  only  necessary  to  screw  the  hose  to  the 
hydrants,  which  are  placed  at  convenient  distances,  to  secure 
a  constant  stream  of  sufficient  force  to  reach  any  ordinary 
height* 

Peale's  Museum,  originally  a  private  collection,  was  formerly 
a  very  interesting  and  important  place  of  resort.  The  grand 
attraction,  Mr.  Duncan  tells  us,  was  the  gigantic  skeleton  of 
the  mastodon  or  mammoth.  "A  human  being  shrinks  into 
insignificance  beside  the  bony  fabric  of  this  enormous  ante 
diluvian.  The  skeleton  of  the  mammoth  resembles  very 
much  that  of  the  elephant,  carrying,  like  it,  two  great  tusks 
in  front.  The  principal  difference  is  found  in  the  grinders ; 
which  in  the  elephant  are  flat  oil  the  top,  with  enamel  pene 
trating  the  whole  material,  but  in  the  mammoth  they  rise 
into  ridges,  or  processes,  as  anatomists  term  them,  somewhat 
as  in  those  of  .sheep,  with  the  enamel  of  the  form  of  an 
outer  crust  or  case,  enveloping  but  not  penetrating  the  bone. 
Some  naturalists  have  supposed  from  this  peculiarity,  that 
tho  mammoth  was  a  carnivorous  animal;  but  a  scientific 
gentleman  remarks  to  me,  that  this  is  impossible,  as  it  has, 
like  the  elephant,  no  front  teeth,  and  its  neck  is  too  short,  and 
its  tusks  too  long,  to  have  admitted  of  its  holding  and  devour 
ing  its  prey,  as  carnivorous  animals  do.  He  thinks  it  probable 
that  it  lived  upon  shrubs  and  the  smaller  branches  of  trees, 
for  crushing  which  the  grinders  seem  to  be  well  adapted.  It 
only  occurs  to  me,  in  reply  to  this  remark,  that  the  enormous 
trunk  of  the  mammoth  may  have  served  to  catch  and  crush  the 
smaller  animals,  and  convey  them  to  his  mouth.  Conjecture, 
however,  in  such  cases,  is  both  unavailing  and  unimportant; 
it  is  sufficient  that  we  have  in  the  existence  of  these  bones 
unanswerable  demonstration  that  in  earlier  times  an  animal 
has  existed,  much  more  enormous  in  bulk  than  the  largest 

*  Hinton's  United  States. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  313 

PHILADELPHIA. 

that  is  now  known  to  tread  the  globe.  This  skeleton, 
which  is,  I  believe,  not  so  large  as  some  others  that  have 
been  found,  is  11  feet  high  over  the  shoulders,  and  measures 
31  feet  from  the  extremity  of  the  tusks  to  the  end  of  the  tail, 
following  the  curve.  It  was  found  in  1801,  in  a  marl  pit  in 
the  State  of  New  York ;  others  have  been  found  near  the 
liclcsj  or  salt  springs,  in  the  State  of  Ohio.  The  skeleton  is 
nearly  entire,  except  in  the  cartilaginous  parts,  which  are  sup 
plied  by  cork."  This  collection  of  curiosities  has  unfortu 
nately  been  dispersed  by  sheriff's  sale. 

"  An  Academy  of  the  Fine  Arts  was  founded  here  in  1805. 
It  was  shortly  after  incorporated  by  the  legislature,  and  a 
building  was  erected  with  suitable  apartments  for  study  and 
exhibition  rooms.  One  of  the  apartments  contains  a  few  spe 
cimens  of  antique  sculpture,  and  casts  of  most  of  the  cele 
brated  statues."  Among  the  modern  specimens  are  busts  and 
statues  by  Canova,  Chantrey,  and  Steinhauser.  The  painting 
room  is  more  richly  stored,  and  can  boast,  if  the  catalogue  is 
correct,  of  several  paintings  by  old  masters ;  among  which  are 
three  by  Titian ;  one  by  Raphael ;  one  by  Correggio,  which  is 
said  to  have  been  executed  for  Charles  III.  of  Spain,  and  was 
purchased  for  £34 ;  three  by  Rubens ;  one  by  Dominichino ; 
one  by  Teniers ;  one  by  Vandyke ;  one  by  Paul  Veronese  ;  one 
by  Rembrandt;  four  by  Murilloj  and  three  by  Salvator  Rosa. 
These  are  but  a  few  of  the  old  paintings.  Among  a  crowd  of 
moderns,  are  some  of  great  merit  by  native  artists,  the  chief  of 
whom  are  Allston  and  West.  From  Allston's  pencil  is  a  beau 
tiful  picture  of  the  "  Dead  Man  restored  to  life  by  touching  the 
bones  of  Elisha";  and  by  West  is  the  great  picture  of  "  Death 
on  the  Pale  Horse,"  the  conception  of  which  is  sublime,  and 
the  execution  calculated  to  excite  a  feeling  of  terror,  and  to 
turn  the  thoughts  to  a  profitable  contemplation  of  the  final  hour 
of  all.  The  conception  of  the  figure  of  Death  was  suggested 
by  a  passage  in  Milton's  "  Paradise  Lost." 

Philadelphia  has  several  valuable  and  extensive  libraries. 
That  of  the  Philosophical  Society  has  15,000  volumes,  many 
of  which  are  rare.  The  Franklin  Institute  has  2000  mem 
bers  and  several  thousand  volumes,  with  an  extensive  reading- 
room.  The  Academy  of  Natural  Science  has  9000  volumes. 
The  Philadelphia  Library,  founded  in  1731,  through  the  influ 
ence  of  Dr.  Franklin,  contains  upwards  of  30,000  well-selected 
volumes,  embracing  almost  every  branch  of  knowledge  ;  to 


FRANKLIN  POUNDING  PHILADELPHIA  LIBRARY 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  315 

PHILADELPHIA. 

which  the  Loganian  Library,  of  11,000  volumes,  mostly  rare 
classical  works,  has  been  added.  The  Athenaeum,  incorporated 
in  1815,  contains  the  periodicals  of  the  day  and  a  library  of 
several  thousand  volumes.  The  Mercantile  Library  contains 
8,000  volumes,  mainly  relating  to  commercial  and  kindred 
subjects ;  and  also  sustains  popular  lectures  on  such  branches 
of  knowledge  as  are  likely  to  be  most  useful  to  its  patrons. 
The  Apprentices'  Library,  formed  by  donations  from  all  classes 
of  citizens,  contains  14,000  volumes,  well  calculated  to  im 
prove  the  minds  of  both  sexes. 

The  public  squares  form  one  of  the  most  attractive  features 
of  Philadelphia.  They  are  six  in  number — and  named  the 
Washington,  Independence,  Franklin,  Centre,  Logan,  and  Rit- 
tenhouse  squares.  Tjie  Washington  square  is  a  little  south 
west  of  the  State  House.  It  is  ornamented  with  beautiful 
shade  trees  and  gravel  walks,  and  surrounded  by  a  high  iron 
railing.  Independence  Square  is  in  the  rear  of  the  State 
House.  It  possesses  fine  grass  plots  and  gravel  walks,  and 
majestic  old  trees.  Within  this  square  the  Declaration  of  In 
dependence  was  promulgated,  and  it  is  therefore  classic  ground. 
It  is  now  frequently  used  for  political  meetings  and  public 
celebrations.  Franklin  Square  is  situated  between  Race  and 
Vine,  arid  Sixth  and  Franklin  streets.  It  is  finely  laid  out 
and  planted  with  trees,  and  a  beautiful  fountain  ornaments  its 
centre.  It  is  more  frequented  as  a  promenade  than  the  other 
squares.  Centre  Square,  or  Penn  Square,  as  it  is  often  termed, 
is  situated  at  the  intersection  of  Broad  arid  Market  streets,  and 
is  now  divided  into  four  parts.  It  formerly  contained  the 
water-works  of  the  city.  But  the  construction  of  the  works 
at  Fairrnount  caused  the  disuse  and  demolition  of  those  in  this 
square.  Logan  Square,  between  Race  and  Vine  streets,  and 
Rittenhouse  Square,  between  Walnut  and  Locust  streets,  are 
beautiful  promenades  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  western  part 
of  the  city.  They  are  well  laid  out,  planted,  and  enclosed. 

The  United  States  Navy  Yard  is  located  at  the  southeastern 
extremity  of  the  city,  and  contains  12  acres  within  its  limits. 
It  is  enclosed  on  three  sides  by  a  high  and  substantial  brick 
wall ;  the  east,  side  opens  on  the  Delaware  river.  The  yard 
contains — besides  two  large  houses  for  ship-building — marine 
barracks,  quarters  for  officers,  &c.  &c.  In  the  largest  of  the 
ship-houses  the  great  ship-of-the-line  Pennsylvania  was  built. 
A  visit  to  the  yard  will  well  repay  the  trouble. 

The  Schitylkill  Excursions. — Two  or  three  small  steamboats 


316  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 

PHILADELPHIA. 

have  beeu  placed  upon  the  Schuylkill,  to  ply  between  Fair- 
mount  and  5lanayunk.  These  boats  are  constructed  in  a  pe 
culiar  manner,  the  wheel  being  in  the  rear,  a  novelty  which 
excites  the  curiosity  of  those  who  have  been  used  to  seeing  the 
steamers  of  ordinary  construction.  The  distance  between 
Fairmount  and  Manayunk  is  seven  miles.  A  boat  leaves  the 
wharf  above  the  dam  every  hour  for  Sweetbriar  Farm — 2  miles 
— six  cents;  Columbia  Hotel — 2  miles — six  cents;  Laurel 
Hill  Cemetery — 1  mile? — ten  cents ;  Falls  of  the  Schuylkill — 
4  miles — ten  cents;  Wissahiccon  creek — 6  miles — and  Mana 
yunk — 7  miles — twelve  and  a  half  cents  each.  The  scenery 
along  the  banks  of  the  Schuylkill  is  characterized  by  quiet 
beauty.  Well-cultivated  farms,  handsome  country  residences, 
green  and  gently  sloping  shores,  relieved  by  occasional  jutting 
and  precipitous  rocks,  are  its  elements.  To  the  lovers  of  the 
beautiful,  nothing  can  be  more  attractive  than  an  excursion  up 
this  river  of  a  clear  summer  evening.  Visiters  to  the  Laurel 
Hill  Cemetery  would  be  wise  to  take  this  route.  The  banks 
of  Wissahiccon  creek  are  much  frequented  by  the  citizens  of 
Philadelphia  during  the  summer  months.  They  are  high, 
precipitous,  covered  with  a  dense  forest,  and  diversified  by  moss- 
decked  rocks.  The  creek  has  a  regular  succession  of  cascades, 
the  fall  of  which,  in  the  aggregate,  amount  to  about  700  feet. 
The  creek  can  be  reached  by  the  Schuylkill  steamboats  or  by 
the  cars: 

The  United  States  Mint  was  founded  in  1790,  and  the  busi 
ness  of  coining  commenced  in  1793,  in  the  building  occupied 
at  present  by  the  Apprentices'  Library.  In  1830  it  was  re 
moved  to  the  fine  building  it  now  occupies  in  Chestnut  street. 
The  edifice  is  of  white  marble,  the  north  front  123  feet  long, 
with  a  portico  GO  feet  long,  of  six  Ionic  columns,  and  a  similar 
portico  on  the  south  front.  The  whole  amount  of  coinage, 
since  its  establishment  in  1793,  to  December  18  V2,  was 
255,087,171  pieces,  of  the  value  of  $85,873,052  50.  The  gold 
deposited  for  coinage,  derived  from  mines  in  the  States  of  Vir 
ginia,  North  and  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Tennessee,  and  Ala 
bama,  has  amounted  to  more  than  36,000,000.  The  first  de 
posit  from  these  States  was  in  1824,  and  has  of  late  years  been 
materially  increased  in  amount  by  gold  found  in  California  and 
elsewhere. 

The  American  Philosophical  Society,  so  well  known  to 
the  learned  in  Europe  for  its  valuable  "  Transactions,"  was 
founded  chiefly  by  the  exertions  of  Dr.  Franklin,  and  still 


318  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


PHILADELPHIA. 


maintains  its  high  character.  Its  library  is  very  valuable, 
comprising  the  most  complete  collection  extant  of  the  Me 
moirs  and  Transactions  of  the  various  learned  Institutions 
in  the  Old  World,  (kept  up  to  the  date  of  the  latest  publica 
tions,)  and  an  extensive  collection  of  historical  documents 
relating  to  the  United  States.  "  Besides  the  Philosophical 
Society,"  Captain  B;  Hall  remarks,  "there  are  various  learn 
ed  bodies  in  Philadelphia,  of  which  I  shall  merely  say,  that  I 
have  seen  few  similar  institutions  elsewhere,  managed  with  a 
more  earnest  desire  to  pursue  knowledge  for  its  own  sake. 
The  inhabitants  of  Philadelphia,  indeed,  appear  to  have  more 
leisure  on  their  hands,  than  those  of  any  city  in  the  Union  ; 
and  accordingly,  scientific  and  literary  pursuits  are  there 
cultivated  with  much  steadiness  and  success.  This  circum 
stance  imparts  a  peculiar  character  to  the  style  of  thought 
and  of  conversation  in  that  city,  sufficiently  obvious  to  dis 
tinguish  the  inhabitants  from  those  of  most  other  parts  of 
America."  The  wealthy  conversaziones t  called  the  VVistar 
parties,  (from  their  founder,  the  late  Dr.  Wistar,  President 
of  the  Philosophical  Society,)  consisting  of  most  of  the  men 
of  letters  and  science  or  general  information  in  the  city,  are 
maintained  with  much  spirit,  and,  to  a  stranger  properly  in 
troduced,  form  a  most  agreeable  feature  of  the  society  of 
Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia  has  been  characterized  as  "  the  centre  of  the 
social  world  in  America."  It  is,  undoubtedly,  as  another 
writer  remarks,  "  the  focus  of  intelligence,  as  well  as  of 
wealth  and  business  in  this  part  of  the  Union."  Before 
taking  leave  of  it,  we  shall  take  the  liberty  of  introducing 
some  remarks  of  a  traveller  who  designed  to  be  candid  (Mr. 
Hodgson.)  Although  his  observations  are  somewhat  of  a 
general  character,  some  of  them,  it  will  be  perceived,  have 
special  reference  to  the  good  people  of  the  city  of"  Brother 
ly  Love." 

"  If,  in  opposition  to  their  republican  principles,  we  divide 
the  Americans  into  classes,  the  first  class  will  comprehend 
what  are  termed  the  Revolutionary  Heroes,  who  hold  a  sort 
of  patent  nobility  undisputed  by  the  bitterest  enemies  of  aris 
tocracy.  Their  numbers,  indeed,  are  few ;  but  they  have 
too  many  peculiar  features  to  be  comprised  in  the  descrip 
tion  "of  any  other  class  of  their  countrymen.  Many  of  them 
were  educated  in  England  ;  and  even  those  who  never  trav- 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  319 


PHILADELPHIA. 


elled,  had  generally  the  advantage  of  the  best  English  socie 
ty,  either  colonial  or  military.  They  were  formed  in  the 
English  school;  were  imbued  with  English;  and,  however 
active  they  were  in  resisting  the  encroachments  of  the  moth 
er  country,  they  are,  many  of  them  at  least,  delighted  to 
trace  their  descent  to  English  families  of  rank,  and  to  boast 
of  the  pure  English  blood  which  flows  in  their  veins.  In 
the  families  of  these  patricians,  in  which  I  have  spent  many 
agreeable  hours,  I  met  with  nothing  to  remind  me  that  I  was 
not  in  the  society  of  that  class  of  our  well-educated  country 
gentlemen,  who  occasionally  visit  the  metropolis,  and 
mingle  in  fashionable  or  political  life.  The  old  gentlemen 
of  this  class,  are  indeed  gentlemen  of  the  old  school  ;  and  the 
young  ladies  are  particularly  agreeable,  refined,  accomplish 
ed,  intelligent,  and  well-bred. 

"  The  second  class  may  include  the  leading  political  char 
acters  of  the  present  day,  the  more  eminent  lawyers,  the  well- 
educated  merchants  and  agriculturists,  and  the  most  respect 
able  of  the  novi  homines  of  every  profession.  It  will  thus 
comprise  the  mass  of  the  good  society  of  America;  the  first 
class, which  comprehends  the  best,  being  very  limited,  sui 
generis,  and  about  to  expire  with  the  present  generation. 
The  manners  of  this  second  class  are  less  polished  than 
those  of  the  corresponding  class  in  England,  and  their  edu 
cation  is  neither  so  regular  nor  so  classical ;  but  their  intel 
lects  are  as  actively  exercised,  and  their  information  at  least 
as  general,  although  less  scientific  and  profound.  The 
young  ladies  of  this  class  are  lively,  modest,  and  unreserved ; 
easy  in  their  manners,  and  rather  gay  and  social  in  their  dis 
positions  :  at  the  same  time  they  are  very  observant  of  the 
rules  of  female  propriety ;  and  if  they  ever  displease,  it  is 
from  indifference,  rather  than  from  either  bashfulness  or  ef 
frontery.  Their  appearance  is  generally  genteel  and  agreea 
ble  ;  their  figure  is  almost  universally  good,  and  they  dress 
remarkably  well, — in  this  city,  (Philadelphia,)  indeed,  more 
to  my  taste  than  in  almost  any  place  I  recollect.  For  this, 
they  are  indebted,  partly  to  the  short  passages  from  Europe, 
which  waft  across  the  Atlantic  the  latest  fashions  from  Lon 
don  and  Paris  ;  partly  to  their  accommodating  tariff,  which 
places  within  their  reach  all  the  most  elegant  materials  for 
dress,  which  American  enterprise  can  collect  in  the  four 
quarters  of  the  globe ;  and  partly  to  the  simplicity  of  the 
Quaker  costume,  which  has  had  a  happy  and  sensible  influ- 


320  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


PHILADELPHIA. 


ence  on  the  taste  and  habits  of  the  community  at  large. 
Their  tone  of  voice,  which  is  a  little  shrill,  and  their  mode 
of  pronouncing  a  few  particular  words,  are  the  peculiarities 
of  manner  which,  I  think,  would  be  most  remarked  upon  in 
the  best  society  in  England.  Generally  speaking,  also,  the 
style  of  female  education  in  America  is  less  favorable  to 
solid  acquirements  than  with  us.  The  young  ladies  here  go 
earlier  into  society  than  in  England,  and  enter  sooner  into 
married  life  ;  they  have  not,  therefore,  the  same  opportuni 
ties  for  maturing  their  taste,  expanding  their  intellect,  and  ac 
quiring  a  rich  store  of  well-arranged  and  digested  knowledge 
as  those  have,  who  have  devoted  to  improvement  the  longer 
interval,  which  climate  or  custom  has,  with  us,  interposed 
between  the  nursery  and  the  drawing-room.  In  the  highest 
class,  especially  in  Carolina,  there  are  many  exceptions  to 
this  general  remark  ;  and  among  the  young  ladies  of  Boston, 
there  appeared  to  me  to  be,  if  less  of  refinement  than  in  the 
Carolinians,  yet,  a  very  agreeable  union  of  domestic  habits 
and  literary  taste,  and  great  kindness  and  simplicity  of  man 
ners. 

"  The  third  class  may  comprehend  all  below  the  second, 
for  in  a  country  where  some  would,  perhaps,  resent  the  idea 
of  a  second  class,  this  division  is  sufficiently  minute.  This 
class  will  include  the  largest  proportion  of  the  American 
population  ;  and  it  is  distinguished  from  the  corresponding 
classes  of  my  countrymen,  (the  little  fanners,  innkeepers, 
shopkeepers,  clerks,  mechanics,  servants,  and  laborers,)  by 
greater  acuteness  and  intelligence,  more  regular  habits  of 
reading,  a  wider  range  of  ideas,  and  a  greater  freedom  from 
prejudices,  provincialism,  and  vulgarity.  It  is  distinguished, 
also,  by  greater  coldness  of  manner  ;  and  this  is  the  first  of 
the  charges  against  the  nation,  generally,  on  which  I  shall 
remark. 

"  As  respects  the  highest  classes,  I  think  this  charge  is, 
in  a  great  measure,  unfounded  :  their  reception  of  a  stranger 
at  least,  appeared  to  me  as  frank  and  as  warm  as  in  England. 
To  that  part  of  the  population  which  1  have  included  in  the 
third  class,  the  charge  attaches  with  strict  propriety  ;  and  in 
many  cases,  their  coldness  amounts  to  the  English  '  cut 
direct.'  At  first,  it  incommoded  me  excessively,  especially 
in  the  women  in  the  country,  who  showed  it  the  most ;  and 
I  have  sometimes  been  disposed  to  ride  on,  not  in  the  best 
temper,  when  arriving  at  an  inn  after  a  long  stage  before 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  321 

PHILADELPHIA. 

breakfast,  and  asking  very  civilly,  '  can  we  have  breakfast 
here  ? '  I  have  received  a  shrill  '  I  reckon  so,'  from  a  cold 
female  figure,  that  went  on  with  its  employments,  without 
deigning  to  look  at  us,  or  to  put  any  thing  in  motion  to 
verify  its  reckoning.  In  due  time,  however,  the  bread  was 
baked,  the  chicken  killed,  and  both  made  their  appearance, 
with  their  constant  companions,  even  in  the  wildest  part  of 
America,  ham,  eggs,  and  coffee.  The  automaton  then  took 
its  place;  and  if  I  had  been  an  automaton  also,  the  charm 
would  have  remained  unbroken  :  but  I  do  not  remember  an 
instance  in  which  the  figure  did  not  converse  with  good 
humor  before  I  rose.  Very  often,  however,  our  reception 
was  warm  and  friendly ;  and  the  wife,  or  daughter,  who 
poured  out  my  coffee,  was  frank,  well-bred,  obliging,  and 
conversible.  The  coldness  of  the  men,  also,  I  found  to  be 
confined  principally  to  their  manners,  and  to  indicate  no  in 
disposition  to  be  sociable  and  accommodating.  On  the  con 
trary,  in  a  route  of  more  than  seven  thousand  miles,  of  which 
I  travelled  nearly  two  thousand  on  horseback,  and  the  rest 
in  steamboats,  and  stages,  I  have  found  the  various  classes 
as  accommodating  and  obliging  as  in  England  :  sometimes, 
I  confess  I  have  thought  more  so.  Some  parts  of  Georgia 
and  the  Carolinas,  might  suggest  a  slight  qualification  of  this 
remark  ;  while  East  Tennessee  and  the  valley  of  the  Shenan- 
doah  might  almost  claim  a  warmer  eulogy.  In  the  course 
of  my  route,  I  have  met  with  only  one  instance  of  personal 
rudeness,  and  that  too  slight  to  be  mentioned,  except  for  the 
sake  of  literal  accuracy.  My  servant's  impressions  cor 
respond  to  mine.  On  questioning  him  at  the  termination  of 
our  route,  he  said,  '  he  thought  the  Americans  quite  as  ready 
to  serve  us,  and  one  another,  as  the  English;  and  that  they 
were  continually  expressing  their  surprise  to  find  English 
men  so  civil.'  Now  our  civility  was  nothing  more  than 
would  naturally  be  suggested  by  a  recollection  of  the  insti 
tutions  of  the  country  through  whifch  we  were  travelling, 
and  a  general  desire  to  be  pleased  with  friendly  intentions, 
however  manifested.  The  coldness  of  manner  in  the  Amer 
icans,  however,  is  a  great  defect,  and  must  prejudice  travel 
ler-  till  they  understand  it  a  little."* 

We   shall    conclude    our    account  of   Philadelphia   with 
some    notices  of   its  early   history.     In  1681,    Charles    II. 

*  Hodgson. 
21 


322  TRAVELS  AND   SKETCHES 


PHILADELPHIA. 


granted  to  William  Perm  a  patent  for  the  territory  of  Penn 
sylvania  in  consideration  of  his  father's  services,  and  of  a 
debt  due  to  him  from  the  crown.  It  was  his  own  intention 
to  call  the  territory  New  Wales  ;  but  the  under  secretary 
had  inserted  the  name  Pennsylvania,  and  would  not  change 
it  even  to  Sylvania,  which  Penn  proposed,  and  to  do  which 
he  offered  a  doceur  of  twenty  guineas.  At  length  Penn 
went  to  the  king  and  requested  the  change  made — but  the 
king  declined,  and  established  the  present  name. 

In  September,  Penn  sailed  in  the  Welcome  for  his  newly 
acquired  territory  ;  but  soon  after  commencing  the  voyage, 
the  smallpox  appeared  and  swept  off  thirty  of  the  passen 
gers.  The  rest  arrived  in  safety  at  the  expiration  of  six 
weeks,  and  Penn  landed  at  Chester.  He  was  received  with 
great  hospitality  with  his  friends  at  the  "  Essex  House," 
then  the  residence  of  Robert  Wade.  This  house  stood 
about  two  hundred  yards  from  Chester  creek,  near  the  mar 
gin  of  the  Delaware,  and  on  a  plain  of  about  fifteen  feet 
above  tide  water.  Near  the  house  by  the  river  side  stood 
several  lofty  white  pines,  three  of  which  remain  at  the 
present  day,  and  thence  ranging  down  the  Delaware  stood 
a  large  row  of  lofty  walnut  trees,  of  which  a  few  still  sur 
vive. 

Essex  House  had  its  south-east  gable  end  fronting  to  the 
river  Delaware,  and  its  south-west  front  upon  Essex  street ; 
its  back  piazza  ranged  in  a  line  with  Chester  creek,  which 
separated  the  house  and  farm  from  the  town  of  Chester  ; 
all  vestiges  of  the  house  are  now  gone,  but  the  facts  of  its 
location  and  position  have  been  told  to  me  by  some  aged 
persons  who  had  once  seen  it.  The  iron  vane  once  upon 
it  was  preserved  several  years,  with  the  design  of  replacing 
it  upon  a  renewed  building  once  intended  there. 

Penn  and  his  immediate  friends  came  up  in  an  open  boat 
or  barge  from  Chester,  and  landed  at  what  was  called  "  the 
Blue  Anchor  Tavern"  owned  by  one  Guest.  It  was  a  new 
house,  and  then  in  building. 

The  whole  scene  was  active,  animating  and  cheering. 
On  the  shore  were  gathered,  to  cheer  his  arrival,  most  of 
the  few  inhabitants  who  had  preceded  him.  The  busy 
builders,  who  had  been  occupied  at  the  construction  oif 
Guest's  house,  and  at  the  connecting  line  of  "  Budd's  long 
row,"  all  forsook  their  labors  to  join  in  the  general  greet 
ings.  The  Indians,  too,  aware  by  previous  signals  of  his 


324  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 


PHILADELPHIA. 


approach,  were  seen  in  the  throng,  or  some,  more  reserved 
ly  apart,  waited  the  salutation  of  the  guest,  while  others, 
hastening  to  the  scene,  could  be  seen  paddling  their  canoes 
down  the  smooth  waters  of  the  creek. 

The  above  tradition  has  been  confirmed  by  several  intelli 
gent  and  respectable  persons,  especially  by  a  Mrs.  Preston, 
who,  according  to  Watson,  in  his  "  Annals,"  was  present 
on  the  occasion,  and  used  to  say  she  admired  the  affability 
and  condescension  of  the  Governor,  especially  his  manner 
of  entering  into  the  spirit  and  feeling  of  the  Indians:  he 
walked  with  them,  sat  down  on  the  ground  with  them,  ate 
with  them  of  their  roasted  acorns  and  hominy:  when  they 
got  up  to  exercise  and  express  their  joy  by  hopping  and 
jumping,  he  finally  sprung  up,  and  beat  them  all.  I  will 
not  pretend,  says  Mr.  Watson,  to  vouch  for  this  story;  we 
give  it  as  we  received  it  from  honest  informants,  who  cer 
tainly  believed  it  themselves.  It  was  a  measure  harmless 
in  the  abstract ;  and  as  a  courtesy  to  the  Indians,  may  have 
been  a  fine  stroke  of  policy  in  winning  their  regard.  He 
was  young  enough  to  have  been  gay  ;  being  then  only  thirty- 
eight  years  of  age.  And  one  of  the  old  journalists  has  left 
on  record,  that  he  was  naturally  prone  to  cheerfulness,  for  a 
grave  public  Friend, especially  in  the  eye  of  those  of  them 
who  held  "  religion  harsh,  intolerant,  austere."* 

Not  long  after  his  arrival,  Penn  held  his  famous  confer 
ence  with  the  Indians,  designing  to  ratify  in  person  the 
terms  of  purchase  and  treaty  of  friendship,  which  his  com 
missioners  had  concluded  with  the  natives.  He  proceeded, 
therefore,  accompanied  by  some  friends,  and  young  people 
of  both  sexes,  to  a  place  called  Coayuannoc,  the  site  of  the 
city,  which  he  afterwards  founded  under  the  name  of  Phila 
delphia,  (Brotherly  Love.)  On  arriving  there,  he  found 
the  sachems  and  their  tribes  already  assembling  :  they  filled 
the  woods  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  and  had  a  formi 
dable  appearance,  both  from  their  number  and  their  arms. 
The  white  men  were  a  mere  handful,  without  weapons  of 
any  kind;  "  so  that  dismay  and  terror  had  come  upon  them, 
had  they  not  confided  in  the  righteousness  of  their  cause." 
The  spot  upon  which  the  council  was  held,  is  a  little  high 
er  up,  and  was  then  named  Shat '  kamaxnn  :  it  is  now  occu 
pied  by  the  houses  of  Kensington,  which  may  be  consider- 

*  Watson's  Annals. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  325 

PHILADELPHIA. 

ed  as  a  suburb  of  Philadelphia.  Here  stood  an  elm  of  pro 
digious  size,  to  which  the  leaders  on  each  side  repaired, 
approaching  each  other  under  its  wide-spreading  branches.* 
William  Penn  appeared  in  his  usual  dress,  without  sword  or 
staff,  or  any  other  insignia  than  a  sky  blue  sash  of  silk  net 
work.  This  sash  is  still  in  existence  in  England.  On  his 
right  hand  was  Col.  Markhain,  his  relation  and  secretary  ; 
on  his  left,  his  friend  Pierson ;  and  he  was  followed  by  a 
train  of  Quakers.  Before  him  were  carried  various  arti 
cles  of  merchandise,  which,  when  they  came  near  the 
sachems,  were  spread  on  the  ground.  In  his  hand  he  held 
a  roll  of  parchment,  containing  the  confirmation  of  the 
Treaty  of  Purchase  arid  Amity.  The  chief  sachem,  on 
Penn's  approach,  put  upon  his  own  head  a  sort  of  chaplet, 
in  which  appeared  a  small  horn,  the  emblem  of  kingly  pow 
er  ;  and  whenever  the  chief,  who  had  a  right  to  wear  it, 
put  it  on,  the  place  was  considered  as  sacred,  and  the  per 
sons  of  all  present  as  inviolable.  The  Indians,  on  this 
sign,  threw  down  their  bows  and  arrows,  and  seated  them 
selves  round  their  chiefs  in  a  semi-circle.  The  chief  sachem 
then  announced,  by  means  of  an  interpreter,  that  the 
natives  were  ready  to  hear  the  "  white  chief."  Upon  this, 
Penn  made  a  declaration  of  his  pacific  intentions,  and  un- 


*  The  tree  thus  memorable  was  blown  over  on  the  3d  of  March,  J810 : 
the  blow  was  not  deemed  generally  prevalent,  nor  strong.  In  its  case, 
the  root  was  wrenched  and  the  trunk  broken  off:  it  fell  on  Saturday 
night,  and  Sunday  man}r  hundreds  of  people  visited  it.  In  its  form  it 
was  remarkably  wide  spread,  but  not  lofty  ;  its  main  branch  inclining 
towards  the  river  measured  150  feet  in  length  ;  its  girth  around  the  trunk 
was  24  feet,  and  its  age,  as  it  was  counted  by  the  inspection  of  its  circles 
of  annual  growth,  was  2<?  years.  While  it  stood,  the  Methodists  and 
Baptists  often  held  their  summer  meetings  under  its  shade.  When  it 
had  fallen,  several  took  their  measures  to  secure  some  of  the  wood  as 
relics.  An  arm-chair  was  made  from  it,and  presented  to  Dr.  Rush  ;  a 
part  of  it  is  constructed  into  something  memorable  and  enduring  at  Penn's 
Park  in  England.  A  marble  monument  has  been  erected  near  the  site 
of  the  original  tree  to  perpetuate  its  memory,  with  the  following  four 
inscriptions  on  its  four  sides,  to  wit  : 


Treaty  Ground 
of 
William  Penn, 
and  the 
Indian     Nations, 
1682. 
Unbroken  Faith. 

William  Penn, 
Born  1644. 
Died  1718. 

Placed  by  the 
Penn  Society, 
A.  D.  1827, 
to  mark 
the  Site  of 
the 
Great  Elm  Tree. 

Pennsylvania 
founded 
1681. 
by  Deeds  of  Peace. 

326  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


PHILADELPHIA. 


rolling  the  parchment,  explained,  article  by  article,  the 
conditions  of  the  purchase  and  compact.  He  then  paid 
them  for  the  land,  and  made  them  many  presents  besides, 
and  concluded  the  ceremony,  by  presenting  the  parchment 
to  the  chief  sachem,  desiring  him  to  preserve  it  carefully 
for  three  generations. 

Having  thus  fairly  purchased  the  land  of  the  natives,  he 
ordered  a  regular  survey  of  it,  during  which  he  pitched  upon 
Coayuannoc,  as  the  most  noble  and  commodious  place  for 
his  new  city.  This  being  determined  upon,  and  a  plan 
formed,  a  map  was  made  of  it,  and  the  name  of  "Philadel 
phia  "  given  to  it,  in  token  of  that  principle  of  brotherly 
love  which  he  wished  might  forever  characterize  his  new  do 
minions.  Several  houses  were  erected  upon  the  spot  the 
same  year.  During  the  year  1683,  about  one  hundred  houses 
were  erected  ;  and  such  was  the  popularity  of  Penn,  and 
such  the  encouragement  given  to  new  settlers,  that  before 
the  expiration  of  1684,  the  city  embraced  nearly  300  houses.* 
The  population  of  the  city  and  suburbs,  according  to  the  cen 
sus  of  1840,  was  228,691. 

The  early  history  of  Philadelphia,  is  replete  with  interest 
ing  facts  and  associations.  Fortunately,  within  a  few  years 
a  gentleman  well  qualified  for  the  task  has  presented  the 
public  with  a  highly  interesting  volume,  entitled  "  Annals 
of  Philadelphia,"  "  designed,"  as  he  remarks,  "  to  revive 
the  recollections  and  the  peculiar  traits  and  characteristics 
of  the  olden  time"  To  this  volume  the  author  is  indebted 
for  the  remaining  pages  of  this  article,  gathered  out  of  some 
seven  or  eight  hundred  pages,  and  for  which  he  here  makes 
this  specific  acknowledgment. 


"  The  city  residence  of  Penn  was  the  Slate  Roof  House, 
which  is  still  standing  at  the  south-east  corner  of  Norris's 
alley  and  Second  street,  but  it  has  undergone  great  altera 
tions.  It  was  originally  built  for  Samuel  Carpenter.  During 
his  second  visit  in  1700,  Penn  and  his  family  occupied  this 
house,  and  here  within  a  month  after  his  arrival  was  born 
John  Penn,  the  only  one  of  the  race  ever  born  in  the  country." 
"  To  that  house  therefore,"  says  Mr.  Watson,  "  humble,  de 
generated,  and  altered  in  aspect  as  it  now  is,  we  are  to  ap- 

*  Life  of  Penn. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  327 


PHILADELPHIA. 


propriate  all  our  conceptions  of  Penn's  employments,  medi 
tations,  hopes,  fears,  &c.,  while  acting  as  Governor  and  pro 
prietary  among  us.  In  those  doors  he  went  in  and  out — up 
and  down  those  stairs  he  passed — in  those  chambers  he  re 
posed — in  those  parlors  he  dined  or  regaled  his  friends — 
through  those  gardens  he  sauntered.  His  wife,  his  daughter 
Loetitia,  his  family,  and  his  servants,  were  there.  In  short, 
to  those  who  can  think  and  feel,  the  place  '  is  filled  with  local 
impressions.'  " 

"  This  house,  after  Penn's  return  to  England,  became  the 
residence  of  Governor  Logan,  and,  some  time  after  him,  of 
Governor  Hamilton.  For  many  years  preceding  the  war  of 
Independence,  it  was  deemed  a  superior  boarding  house. 
While  it  held  its  rank  as  such,  it  was  honored  with  the  com 
pany,  and  finally  with  the  funeral  honors  of  General  Forbes, 
successor  to  General  Braddock,  who  died  in  the  house  in 
1759.  The  pomp  of  his  funeral  from  that  house  surpassed 
all  the  simple  inhabitants  had  before  seen  in  their  city.  His 
horse  was  led  before  the  procession,  richly  caparisoned, — 
the  whole  conducted  in  all  '  the  pomp  of  war,'  with  funeral 
dirges,  and  a  military  array  with  arms  reversed. 

"  In  1764,  it  was  occupied  as  a  distinguished  boarding 
house  by  the  widow  Graydon,  mother  of  Captain  Graydon  of 
Carlisle,  who  has  left  us  his  amusing  '  Memoirs  of  60  years 
life  in  Pennsylvania.'  There  his  mother,  as  he  informs  us, 
had  a  great  many  gentry  as  lodgers.  He  describes  the  old 
house  as  very  much  of  a  castle  in  its  construction,  although 
built  originally  for  a  Friend.  '  It  was  a  singular  old-fash 
ioned  structure,  laid  out  in  the  style  of  a  fortification,  with 
abundance  of  angles  both  salient  and  re-entering.  Its  two 
wings  projected  to  the  street  in  the  manner  of  bastions,  to 
which  the  main  building,  retreating  from  16  to  18  feet,  served 
for  a  curtain.  John  Adams  and  other  members  of  the  first 
Congress  had  their  lodgings  in  the  Slate  House.' 

" '  Shippen's  House,'  or  '  Shippey's  Great  House,'  was 
another  venerable  edifice.  For  many  years  after  its  con 
struction,  it  was  beautifully  situated  and  surrounded  with 
rural  beauty,  being  originally,  on  a  small  eminence,  with  a 
tall  row  of  yellow  pines  in  its  rear,  a  full  orchard  of  best 
fruit  trees  close  by,  overlooking  the  rising  city,  beyond  the 
Dock  creek,  and  having  on  its  front  view  a  beautiful  green 


328  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

PHILADELPHIA. 

lawn,  gently  sloping  to  the  then  pleasant  Dock  creek,  and 
draw  bridge,  and  the  whole  prospect  unobstructed  to  the 
Delaware  and  the  Jersey  shore.  It  was  indeed  a  princely 
place  for  that  day,  and  caused  the  honest  heart  of  Gabriel 
Thomas,  to  overflow  at  its  recollection,  as  he  spoke  of  it  in 
the  year  1698,  saying  of  it,  that  '  Edward  Shippen,  who  lives 
near  the  capital  city,  has  an  orchard  and  gardens  adjoining 
to  his  great  house  that  equals  any  I  have  ever  seen,  being  a 
very  famous  and  pleasant  summer  house,  erected  in  the  mid 
dle  of  his  garden,  and  abounding  with  tulips,  carnations, 
roses,  lilies,  &,c.,  with  many  wild  plants  of  the  country  be 
sides.' 

"  Such  was  the  place  enjoyed  by  Edward  Shippen,  the 
first  Mayor,  under  the  regular  charter  of  the  year  1700. 
Shippen  was  a  Friend,  from  England,  who  had  suffered  '  for 
truth's  and  Friend's  sake,'  at  Boston, by  a  public  punishment 
from  the  misguided  rulers  there.  Possessing  such  a  man 
sion  and  the  means  to  be  hospitable,  he  made  it  the  temporary 
residence  of  William  Penn  and  his  family,  for  about  a  month, 
when  they  arrived  in  1699.  About  the  year  1720  it  was 
held  by  Governor  Keith,  and  in  1756  it  became  the  residence 
of  Governor  Denny.  As  it  usually  bore  the  name  of  '  the 
Governor's  house,'  in  after  times,  it  was  probably  occupied 
by  other  rulers. 

"  The  first  church  in  Philadelphia  was  erected  in  1695. 
It  was  a  one-story  wooden  chapel,  built  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Clayton.  The  ceiling  was  so  low,  that  a 
tall  person  could  touch  it.  The  bell  was  hung  in  the  crotch 
of  a  tree  close  by.  When  the  second  church  was  erected  on 
the  same  spot,  the  structure  was  so  much  larger,  that  the 
walls  of  the  smaller  were  left  standing,  and  the  worship  was 
continued  in  it  till  the  other  was  roofed  and  nearly  finished." 
The  present  Christ  church,  built  of  brick,  was  founded  in 
1727.  The  steeple,  however,  was  not  finished  till  1754,  at 
a  cost  of  .£2100,  and  the  bells  were  purchased  in  England, 
at  a  cost  of  .£'900, — they  were  brought  out,  freight  free,  in 
the  ship  Matilda,  Captain  Budden  ;  and  as  a  compliment  to 
his  generosity,  as  often  as  he  arrived  in  subsequent  years, 
the  bells  put  forth  a  merry  peal  to  announce  their  gratitude. 
The  whole  weight  of  the  bells  was  said  to  be  8000  Ibs. — 
the  tenor  bell  weighed  1800  /6s.  They  were  cast  by  Lester 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  329 


PHILADELPHIA. 


and  Pack,  men  of  most  note  in  their  day.  They  were  hung 
here  by  Nicholas  Nicholson,  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  in  an  en 
tirely  new  manner. 

"  These  bells,  heavy  as  they  were  in  mounting,  had  to  be 
taken  down  in  the  year  1777,  by  the  Commissary  General  of 
military  stores,  to  keep  them  from  falling  into  the  hands  of 
the  British,  for  military  purposes;  they  were  again  returned 
and  hung  after  the  evacuation  of  the  city. 

"  When  the  bells  were  yet  a  novelty,  they  excited  very 
great  interest  to  hear  them  chime  and  ring  tunes.  They 
used  to  ring  the  night  before  markets ;  and  on  such  occa 
sions  numbers  of  persons  would  go  from  villages  like  Ger- 
mantown,  half  way  to  the  city,  to  listen  to  the  peals  of  merry 
music. 

"  The  first  time  the  bells  were  tolled  was  long  remember 
ed,  as  being  for  the  occasion  of  Governor  Anthony  Palmer's 
wife,  the  mother  of  21  children,  all  of  whom  died  with  con 
sumption  !  The  ringing  was  also  doubly  memorable  in  having 
caused  the  death  of  one  of  the  ringers,  by  his  ignorance  and 
ill-judged  management  of  the  bell-rope. 

"  The  Hon.  Charles  Thompson  said  he  well  remembered 
being  present,  when  a  man  fell  from  a  high  elevation  on  the 
steeple,  down  to  the  ground  unhurt !  While  he  was  up,  some 
commotion  occurred  in  the  crowd  below,  and  he  turning  his 
head  and  body  backwards  to  look,  gave  occasion  to  the  wind 
to  pass  between  him  and  the  steeple,  and  so  forced  him  to 
let  go  his  hold  by  the  hands,  and  he  fell  !  What  horrors  he 
must  have  felt  in  his  terrified  thoughts,  during  his  rapid  de 
scent  !  '  Mercy  he  sought,  and  mercy  found,' — for  he  fell, 
providentially  and  strangely  enough,  into  a  large  mass  of 
mortar,  and  his  great  fall  was  harmless." 

In  respect  to  the  state  of  society  among  the  early  inhab 
itants  of  Philadelphia,  Mr.  Watson  observes,  that  "  they  were 
distinguished  for  a  frank  and  generous  hospitality.  They 
made  many  entertainments,  but  they  were  devoid  of  glare 
and  show,  and  always  abundant  and  good. 

"  Dr.  Franklin,  describing  the  state,  of  the  people  about 
the  year  1752,  says  they  were  all  loyal,  and  submitted  wil 
lingly  to  the  government  of  the  crown,  or  paid  for  defence 
cheerfully.  '  They  were  led  by  a  thread.  They  not  only 
had  a  respect,  but  an  affection  for  Great  Britain,  for  its 
laws,  its  customs,  and  its  manners,  and  even  a  fondness  for 


330  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


PHILADELPHIA. 


its  fashions, — not  yet  subsided.  Natives  of  Great  Britain 
were  always  treated  with  particular  regard  ;  and,  to  be  "  an 
Old  England  man  "  gave  a  kind  of  rank  and  respect  among 
us.' 

"  The  old  people  all  testify  that  the  young  of  their  youth 
were  much  more  reserved,  and  held  under  much  more  re 
straint  in  the  presence  of  their  elders  and  parents  than  now. 
Bashfulnesa  and  modesty  in  the  young  were  then  regarded  as 
virtues  ;  and  the  present  freedom  before  the  aged  was  not 
then  countenanced.  Young  lovers  then  listened  and  took 
sidelong  glances,  when  before  their  parents  or  elders. 

"  It  was  the  custom  for  the  younger  part  of  the  family, 
and  especially  of  the  female  part,  to  dress  up  neatly  towards 
the  close  of  the  day,  and  sit  in  the  street  porch.  Sometimes 
they  would  go  from  porch  to  porch  in  neighborhoods,  and 
sit  and  converse.  Tea  was  such  a  rarity,  that  it  was 
measured  out  for  the  teapots  in  small  hand-scales.  After 
noon  visits  were  not  made,  as  now,  at  night,  but  at  so  early 
an  hour  as  to  permit  matrons  to  go  home,  and  see  their 
children  put  to  bed. 

"  Before  the  Revolution,  no  hired  man  or  woman  wore 
any  shoes  so  fine  as  calfskin  ;  coarse  neats  leather  was  their 
every  day  wear.  Men  and  women  then  hired  by  the  year, — 
men  got  16  to  <£20,  and  a  servant  woman  8  to  .£10.  Out  of 
that  it  was  their  custom  to  lay  up  money,  to  buy  before  their 
marriage  a  bed  and  bedding,  silver  teaspoons,  and  a  spinning 
wheel,  &,c. 

"  Among  the  rough  amusements  of  men,  might  be  men 
tioned,  shooting,  fishing,  and  sailing  parties.  These  were 
frequent,  as  also  mutton  clubs,  fishing,  house  and  country 
parties  were  much  indulged  in  by  respectable  citizens.  Great 
sociability  prevailed  among  all  classes  of  citizens,  until  the 
strife  with  Great  Britain  sent  'every  man  to  his  own  ways;' 
then  discord  and  acrimony  ensued,  and  the  previously  gen 
eral  friendly  intercourse  never  returned.  We  afterwards 
grew  another  and  enlarged  people. 

"  Our  girls  in  the  daytime  used  to  attend  the  work  of  the 
family,  and  in  the  evening  paraded  in  their  porch  at  the 
door.  Some  of  them,  however,  even  then,  read  novels,  and 
walked  without  business  abroad.  Those  who  had  not  house 
work,  employed  themselves  in  their  accomplishments,  such  as 
making  shell-work,  cornucopias,  working  of  pocket  books, 
with  a  close,  strong-stitched  needlework. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  331 


PHILADELPHIA. 


"  The  ladies  seventy  years  ago,  were  much  accustomed  to 
ride  on  horseback  for  recreation.  It  was  quite  common  to 
see  genteel  ladies  riding,  with  jockey  caps. 

"  Boarding  schools  for  girls  were  not  known  in  Philadel 
phia  until  about  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  nor  had  they 
any  separate  schools  for  writing  and  ciphering,  but  were 
taught  in  common  with  boys.  The  ornamental  parts  of 
female  education  were  bestowed,  but  geography  and  gram 
mar  were  never  regarded  for  them,  until  a  certain  Mr.  Hor- 
ton — thanks  to  his  name  ! — proposed  to  teach  those  sci 
ences  to  young  ladies.  Similar  institutions  afterwards  grew 
into  favor. 

"  It  was  usual  in  the  Gazettes  of  1760,  to  70,  to  an 
nounce  marriages  in  words  like  these,  to  wit  :  '  Miss  Betsey 
Lawrence,  or  Miss  Elizabeth  Caton,  a  most  agreeable  lady, 
with  a  large  or  a  handsome  fortune.' 

"  In  still  earlier  times,  marriages  had  to  be  promulged  by 
affixing  the  intentions  of  the  parties  on  the  court  house  or 
meeting  house  door  ;  and  when  the  act  was  solemnized,  they 
should  have  at  least  twelve  subscribing  witnesses.  The  act 
which  imposed  it  was  passed  in  1700. 

"  The  wedding  entertainments  of  olden  times  were  very 
expensive  and  harassing  to  the  wedded.  The  house  of  the 
parent  would  be  filled  with  company  to  dine;  the  same 
company  would  stay  to  tea  and  to  supper.  For  two  days, 
punch  was  dealt  out  in  profusion.  The  gentlemen  saw  the 
groom  on  the  first  floor,  and  then  ascended  to  the  second, 
where  they  saw  the  bride  ;  there  every  gentleman,  even  to 
one  hundred  in  a  day,  kissed  her  !  Even  the  plain  Friends 
submitted  to  these  things.  I  have  known  rich  families, 
which  had  120  persons  to  dine — the  same  who  had  signed 
their  certificate  of  marriage  at  the  monthly  meeting  ;  these 
also  partook  of  tea  and  supper.  As  they  formally  passed 
the  meeting  twice,  the  same  entertainment  was  repeated. 
Two  days  the  male  friends  would  call  and  take  punch,  and 
all  would  kiss  the  bride.  Besides  this,  the  married  pair  for 
two  entire  weeks  saw  large  tea  parties  at  their  home,  having 
in  attendance  every  night  the  groomsman  and  bridemaids. 
To  avoid  expense  and  trouble,  Friends  have  since  made  it 
sufficient  to  pass  but  one  meeting.  When  these  marriage 
entertainments  were  made,  it  was  expected  also  that  punch, 
cakes,  and  meats  should  be  sent  out  very  generally  in  the 


332  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


PHILADELPHIA. 


neighborhood,    even  to  those  who  were  not  visiters  in  the 
family  ! 

"Of  articles  and  rules  of  diet,  so  far  as  it  differed  from 
ours,  in  the  earliest  time,  we  may  mention  coffee,  as  a  bev 
erage,  was  used  but  rarely ;  chocolate  for  morning  and 
evening,  or  thickened  milk  for  children.  Cookery  in  general 
was  plainer  than  now.  In  the  country,  morning  and  evening 
repasts  were  generally  made  of  milk,  having  bread  boiled 
therein,  or  else  thickened  with  pop-robins, — things  made  up 
of  flour  and  eggs  into  a  batter,  and  so  dropt  in  with  the  boil 
ing  milk. 

"  A  lady  of  my  acquaintance  thus  describes  the  recol 
lections  of  her  early  days,  preceding  the  war  of  Independ 
ence.  Dress  was  discriminate  and  appropriate,  both  as  re 
garded  the  season  and  the  character  of  the  wearer.  Ladies 
never  wore  the  same  dresses  at  work  and  on  visits;  they 
sat  at  home,  or  went  out  in  the  morning,  in  chintz  ;  bro 
cades,  satins,  and  mantuas  were  reserved  for  evening  or 
dinner  parties.  Robes  or  negligees,  as  they  were  called, 
were  always  worn  in  full  dress.  Muslins  were  not  worn  at 
all.  Little  Misses  at  a  dancing  school  ball  (for  these  were 
almost  the  only  fetes  that  fell  to  their  share  in  the  days  of 
discrimination)  were  dressed  in  frocks  of  lawn  or  cambric. 
Worsted  was  then  thought  dress  enough  for  common  days. 

"  As  a  universal  fact  it  may  be  remarked,  that  no  other 
color  than  black  was  ever  made  for  ladies'  bonnets,  when 
formed  of  silk  or  satin.  Fancy  colors  were  unknown,  and 
white  bonnets  of  silk  fabric  had  never  been  seen.  The 
first  innovation  remembered  was  the  bringing  in  of  blue 
bonnets. 

"  The  time  was,  when  the  plainest  woman  among  the 
Friends  (now  so  averse  to  fancy  colors)  wore  their  colored 
silk  aprons,  say,  of  green  or  blue,  &c.  This  was  at  a  time 
when  the  gay  wore  white  aprons.  In  time,  white  aprons 
were  disused  by  the  gentry,  and  then  the  Friends  left  off 
their  colored  ones  and  used  the  white  !  The  same  old 
ladies,  among  Friends  whom  we  can  remember  as  wearers 
of  the  white  aprons,  wore  also  large  white  beaver  hats,  with 
scarcely  the  sign  of  a  crown,  and  which  was  indeed  confined 
to  the  head  by  silk  cords  tied  under  the  chin.  Eight  dollars 
would  buy  such  a  hat,  when  beaver  fur  was  more  plentiful 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  333 


PHILADELPHIA. 


They  lasted  such  ladies  almost  a  whole  life  of  wear.  They 
showed  no  fur. 

"  Very  decent  women  went  abroad  and  to  churches  with 
check  aprons.  I  have  seen  those  who  kept  their  coach  in 
my  time  to  bear  them  to  church,  who  told  me  they  went  on 
foot  with  a  check  apron  to  the  Arch  street  Presbyterian 
meeting  in  their  youth.  Then  all  hired  women  wore  short 
gowns  and  petticoats  of  domestic  fabric,  and  could  be  in 
stantly  known  as  such  whenever  seen  abroad. 

"  In  the  former  days,  it  was  not  uncommon  to  see  aged 
persons  with  large  silver  buttons  to  their  coats  and  vests — 
it  was  a  mark  of  wealth.  Some  had  the  initials  of  their 
names  engraved  on  each  button.  Sometimes  they  were 
made  out  of  real  quarter  dollars,  with  the  coinage  impression 
still  retained, — these  were  used  for  the  coats,  and  the  eleven- 
penny-bits  for  vests  and  breeches.  My  father  wore  an 
entire  suit  decorated  with  conch-shell  buttons,  silver 
mounted. 

"  The  articles  of  dress  in  those  early  times  would  at  the 
present  day  not  be  recognized  by  their  names.  The  fol 
lowing  is  an  advertisement  for  the  year  1745. — For  sale, 

"  '  Tandems,  isinghams,  nuns,  bag  and  gulix,  (these  all 
mean  shirting,)  huckabacks,  (a  figured  worsted  for  women's 
gowns,)  quilted  humhums,  turketees,  grassets,  single  allo- 
peens,  children's  stays,  jumps  and  bodice,  whalebone  and 
iron  busks,  men's  new  market  caps,  silk  and  worsted  wove 
patterns  for  breeches,  allibanes,  dickrnansoy,  cushloes,  chuck- 
loes,  cuttanees,  crimson  dannador,  chain'd  soosees,  lemonees, 
byrampauts,  moree,  naffermamy,  saxlingham,  prunelloe,  bar- 
ragons,  druggets,  florettas,'  &/c.  &/c. 

"  Before  the  Revolution,  no  hired  men  or  women  wore 
any  shoes  so  fine  as  calf  skin  ;  that  kind  was  the  exclusive 
property  of  the  gentry  ;  the  servants  wore  coarse  neat  leather. 
The  calf  skin  shoe  then  had  a  white  rand  of  sheep  skin 
stitched  into  the  top  edge  of  the  sole,  which  they  preserved 
white  as  a  dress  shoe  as  long  as  possible. 

"  It  was  very  common  for  children  and  working  women 
to  wear  beads  made  of  Job's  tears,  a  berry  of  a  shrub. 
They  used  them  for  economy,  and  said  it  prevented  several 
diseases. 

"  Until  the  period  of  the  Revolution,  every  person  who 
wore  a  fur  hat,  had  it  always  of  entire  beaver.  Every  ap 
prentice,  at  receiving  his  '  freedom,'  received  a  real  beaver, 


334  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


PHILADELPHIA. 


at  a  cost  of  six  dollars.  Their  every  day  hats  were  of 
wool,  called  felts.  What  were  called  rorarn  hats,  being  fur 
faced  upon  wool  felts,  came  into  use  directly  after  the 
peace,  and  excited  much  surprise,  as  to  the  invention.  Gen 
tlemen's  hats,  of  entire  beaver,  universally  cost  eight  dollars. 

"  The  use  of  lace  veils  to  ladies'  faces  is  but  a  modern 
fashion,  not  of  more  than  twenty  to  thirty  years  standing. 
Now  they  wear  black,  white,  and  green, — the  last  only  lately 
introduced  as  summer  veil.  In  olden  time,  none  wore  a  veil 
but  as  a  mark  and  badge  of  mourning,  and  then,  as  now,  of 
crape  in  preference  to  lace. 

"  Ancient  ladies  remembered  a  time  in  their  early  life, 
when  the  ladies  wore  blue  stockings  and  party-colored  clocks 
of  very  striking  appearance.  May  not  that  fashion,  as  an 
extreme  ton  of  the  upper  circle  in  life,  explain  the  adoption 
of  the  term — '  Blue-stocking  Club  ?'  I  have  seen  in  pos 
session  of  Samuel  Coates,  Esq.,  the  wedding  silk  stockings 
of  his  grandmother,  of  a  lively  green,  and  great  red  clocks. 
My  grandmother  wore  in  winter,  very  fine  worsted  green 
stockings  with  a  gay  clock  surmounted  with  a  bunch  of 
tulips. 

"The  late  President  Thomas  Jefferson,  when  in  Philadel 
phia,  on  his  first  mission  abroad,  was  dressed  in  the  garb  of 
his  day  after  this  manner,  to  wit :  he  wore  a  long  waisted 
white  cloth  coat,  scarlet  breeches  and  vest,  a  cocked  hat,  with 
a  black  cockade. 

"  Even  spectacles,  permanently  useful  as  they  are,  have 
been  subject  to  the  caprice  of  fashion.  Now  they  are  oc 
casionally  seen  of  gold — a  thing  I  never  saw  in  my  youth  ; 
neither  did  I  ever  see  one  young  man  with  spectacles — now 
so  numerous  !  A  purblind  or  half-sighted  youth  then  deemed 
it  his  positive  disparagement  to  be  so  regarded.  Such  would 
have  rather  run  against  a  street  post  six  times  a  day,  than 
have  been  seen  with  them  !  Indeed,  in  early  olden  time 
they  had  riot  the  art  of  using  temple  spectacles.  Old  Mrs. 
Shoemaker,  who  died  in  1825,  at  the  age  of  95,  said  she 
had  lived  many  years  in  Philadelphia  before  she  ever  saw 
temple  spectacles — a  name  then  given  as  a  new  discovery, 
but  now  so  common  as  to  have  lost  its  distinctive  charac 
ter.  In  her  early  years,  the  only  spectacles  she  ever  saw 
were  called  '  bridge  spectacles,1  without  any  side  support 
ers,  and  held  on  the  nose  solely  by  nipping  the  bridge  of 
the  nose. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  335 


PHILADELPHIA. 


"  My  grandmother  wore  a  black  velvet  mask  in  winter, 
with  a  silver  mouth-piece  to  keep  it  on,  by  retaining  it  in 
the  mouth.  I  have  been  told  that  green  ones  have  been 
used  in  summer  for  some  few  ladies,  for  riding  in  the  sun  on 
horseback. 

"  Ladies  formerly  wore  cloaks  as  their  chief  over-coats  ; 
they  were  used  with  some  changes  of  form  under  the  succes 
sive  names  of  roquelaurs,  capuchins,  and  cardinals. 

"  In  Mrs.  Shoemaker's  time,  above  named,  they  had  no 
knowledge  of  umbrellas  to  keep  off  rain,  but  she  had  seen 
some  few  use  kitisols — an  article  as  small  as  present  parasols 
now.  They  were  entirely  to  keep  off  rain  from  ladies.  They 
were  of  oiled  muslin,  and  of  various  colors.  They  were 
imported  from  India  by  way  of  England.  They  must,  how 
ever,  have  been  but  rare,  as  they  never  appear  in  any  adver 
tisements. 

"  Dr.  Chancellor,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Duche,  were  the  first 
persons  in  Philadelphia,  who  were  seen  to  wear  umbrellas  to 
keep  off  the  rain.  They  were  of  oiled  linen,  very  coarse 
and  clumsy,  with  ratan  sticks.  Before  their  time,  some 
doctors  and  ministers  used  an  oiled  linen  cape,  hooked  round 
their  shoulders,  looking  not  unlike  the  big  coat  capes,  now 
in  use,  and  then  called  a  roquelaur.  It  was  only  used  for  se 
vere  storms. 

"  About  the  year  1771,  the  first  efforts  were  made  in 
Philadelphia  to  introduce  the  use  of  umbrellas  in  summer, 
as  a  defence  from  the  sun.  They  were  then  scouted  in  the 
public  gazettes,  as  a  ridiculous  effeminacy.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  physicians  recommended  them,  to  keep  off  verti 
goes,  epilepsies,  sore  eyes,  fevers,  &,c.  Finally,  as  the  doc 
tors  were  the  chief  patrons,  Doctor  Chancellor  and  Doctor 
Morgan,  with  the  Rev.  Parson  Duche,  were  the  first  persons, 
who  had  the  hardihood  to  be  so  singular,  as  to  wear  um 
brellas  in  sunshine.  Mr.  Bingham,  when  he  returned  from 
the  West  Indies,  where  he  had  amassed  a  great  fortune  in 
the  Revolution,  appeared  abroad  in  the  streets  attended  by  a 
mulatto  boy  bearing  his  umbrella.  But  his  example  did  not 
take,  and  he  desisted  from  its  use."* 

*  Watson's  Historic  Tales  of  Olden  Time. 


336  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


PITTSnURGH. 


PITTSBURGH. 

This  city,  which  justly  ranks  among  the  most  flourishing 
in  the  country,  occupies  the  former  site  of  the  once-celebrated 
French  fort  Du  Quesnc,  where  the  immortal  Washington  in 
1755  first  displayed  that  prowess  and  military  skill  which 
subsequently  so  greatly  contributed  to  the  success  of  the 
American  arms  during  our  revolutionary  struggle.  It  is  a 
remarkable  fact  that  the  population  of  this  place  has  nearly 
doubled  every  ten  years,  dating  back  from  1810,  when  it 
numbered  4,768;  and  at  the  last  census  it  was  upwards  of 
100,000. 

The  city  is  situated  at  the  confluence  of  the  Alleghany  and 
Monongahela  rivers,  which  by  their  union  here  form  the  Ohio 
river,  a  navigable  stream  to  the  gulf  of  Mexico  through  the 
Mississippi.  The  streets  are  laid  out  in  lines  running  paral 
lel  with  both  rivers,  and  are  crossed  at  right  angles  by  others, 
which  meet  obliquely  a  short  distance  back  from  the  Alle 
ghany.  Extensive  bridges  are  built  across  both  rivers,  and 
several  ferries  afford  easy  communication  with  the  suburbs 
and  surrounding  towns.  The  harbour  is  chiefly  on  the  Mo 
nongahela,  owing  to  its  superior  depth  of  water,  and  there  are 
about  one  hundred  steamboats,  of  various  capacities,  now 
engaged  directly  in  connection  with  the  business  of  this  place. 
Bituminous  coal  abounds  in  the  vicinity,  and  adds  much  to 
facilities  of  manufacturing;  it  also  produces  a  brijliant  gas, 
with  which  the  city  is  lighted  at  a  comparatively  small  ex 
pense.  The  citizens  are  supplied  with  fine  water  from  the 
Alleghany,  raised  by  a  steam-engine,  capable  of  raising  from 
three  to  four  millions  of  gallons  daily ;  it  is  conducted  through 
the  several  streets  in  iron  pipes. 

The  Pennsylvania  canal,  which  here  crosses  the  Alleghany 
by  an  aqueduct,  has  been  a  source  of  great  benefit  to  Pitts 
burgh,  by  facilitating  the  travel  on  this  route,  and  reducing 
the  time  and  expense  of  communication  with  Philadelphia  and 
other  places  to  less  than  one  half  the  rates  charged  previous 
to  its  completion. 

The  first  steamboat  on  the  Western  waters  was  built  at 
Pittsburgh  in  1811,  and  materially  changed  the  character  of 
trade  in  that  section  of  country;  as,  previous  to  its  introduc 
tion,  a  trip  to  and  from  New  Orleans  was  the  work  of  a  whole 
season,  but  now  it  requires  only  a  few  weeks. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  337 


PITTSBURGH: 


This  city,  which  has  deservedly  acquired  the  name  of  the 
"Birmingham  of  America,"  is  also  styled  by  Mr.  M'Culloch 
"  a  great  workshop  and  industrious  hive."  Among  the  public 
buildings,  the  Court  House  stands  most  prominent;  it  is  a 
magnificent  Grecian  Doric  structure,  165  feet  long  and  100 
feet  wide,  surmounted  by  a  dome  37  feet  at  the  base  and  148 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  street.  There  are  about  fifty 
churches,  of  various  denominations,  in  the  city  and  precincts, 
including  a  splendid  Catholic  cathedral,  located  on  Grant's 
hill,  near  the  Western  University  of  Pennsylvania.  There 
are  also  several  public  libraries;  a  museum,  theatre,  and 
market-houses;  and  two  large  hotels,  (the  Monongahela  and 
Exchange,)  which  are  creditably  conducted. 

Pittsburgh  has  suffered  materially  from  several  destructive 
fires.  In  April,  1845,  a  large  portion  of  the  city,  embracing 
many  of  the  most  valuable  public  and  private  edifices,  was 
destroyed ;  but  since  then  609  buildings  have  been  erected 
in  the  district  burned  over,  which  are  much  larger  and  better 
adapted  to  business  purposes  than  those  formerly  occupying 
the  same  ground.  It  is  well  said,  in  the  Gazette,  that  "  there 
are  few  cities  in  the  Union,  of  corresponding  means,  where 
such  rapid  advancements  have  been  made  in  business  and  in 
buildings." 


MARYLAND. 


BALTIMORE. 

BALTIMORE,  the  largest  city  in  Maryland,  though  not  the 
seat  of  government,  has  had  the  most  rapid  growth  of  any 
town  of  the  same  size  in  the  Union.  In  1787,  it  contained 
only  1955  houses,  including  its  port ;  the  number  of  stores 
was  152,  and  of  churches  nine,  belonging  to  as  many  sects. 
In  1789,  the  number  of  inhabitants  was  between  10,000  and 
11,000;  of  whom,  not  more  than  one  in  five,  Dr.  Morse 
states,  attended  public  worship  of  any  kind,  notwithstanding 
the  variety  that  courted  their  choice.  There  were  many  re 
spectable  families  who  lived  genteely  ;  but  the  bulk  of  the 
population,  recently  collected  from  all  quarters  of  the  globe, 
bent  on  the  pursuit  of  wealth,  and  varying  alike  in  their 
habits,  manners,  and  creed,  were  "  unsocial,  unimproved, 
and  inhospitable."  In  1790,  the  number  of  inhabitants  was 
13,503;  the  amount  of  shipping,  13,564  tons.  In  1800,  the 
population  had  doubled ;  in  ten  years  more,  it  had  risen  to 
40,555,  including  10,343  blacks;  in  1820,  to  62,627,  and 
the  tonnage  was  68,674.  It  now  ranks  as  the  third  city  in 
commercial  importance  in  the  United  States,  and  the  fifth  also 
in  population,  containing  169,048  inhabitants.  This  is  an  in 
crease  of  numbers  perhaps  unparalleled,  unless  Rochester  be 
an  exception,  the  place  having  been  raised  from  a  town  to  a 
city  as  late  as  the  last  day  of  the  year  1796. 

During  the  war  with  England,  in  1812,  the  commerce  of 
Baltimore,  like  that  of  every  other  part  of  the  country,  par 
took  of  the  fluctuations  of  the  times.  Her  merchants  suffer 
ed,  however,  Jess  than  most  other  places.  After  the  peace 
with  England  in  1815,  the  merchants  of  Baltimore  resumed 
their  former  commercial  operations.  The  effect  on  the  city 
was  sudden  and  most  encouraging:  a  rapid  influx  of  popula 
tion  immediately  followed  :  activity  pervaded  every  class  of 
society  and  every  branch  of  industry  :  the  vessels  belonging 
to  the  port,  which  had  been  scattered  in  various  parts  of  the 
United  States,  during  the  war,  were  now  called  home :  a 
338 


BATTLE  MONUMENT,  Baltimore. 


#40  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


BALTIMOUK. 


considerable  accession  to  the  tonnage  had  taken  place.  The 
trade  to  China,  Batavia,  Bengal,  and  other  parts  of  Asia  was 
resumed  :  the  intercourse  with  Europe  was  briskly  renewed, 
find  the  accumulated  produce  of  the  country  was  quickly 
despatched  to  the  proper  markets.  European  imports,  and 
particularly  British  manufactures,  were  introduced  in  the 
greatest  abundance,  and  it  may  be  doubted,  whether,  at  any 
period,  the  business  of  Baltimore  was  more  active,  or  its  ap 
parent  prosperity  more  flattering  than  for  the  three  years 
succeeding  the  war.  Real  estate  rose  to  a  higher  value  than 
it  had  been  known  to  possess  before.  Numerous  dwelling 
houses  were  erected,  to  accommodate  the  increasing  popula 
tion,  and  rents  became  exorbitant. 

"  But  this  delusive  prosperity  was  not  peculiar  to  Balti 
more  ;  the  whole  country  was  drawn  into  the  snare  :  and 
the  combination  of  causes  which  led  to  it,  arising  from  the 
great  changes  in  the  state  of  this  country  and  Europe,  as  well 
as  its  general  and  fatal  consequences,  are  too  well  known  to 
be  dwelt  upon  here.  Baltimore  suffered  more  than  any  other 
city.  Business  was  curtailed  ;  property  fell  in  value;  and 
when  the  stock  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  then  at  an 
exaggerated  and  unparalleled  nominal  value,  fell  nearly  one 
third  of  that  value,  in  the  space  of  a  few  weeks,  which  it  did 
in  1818,  the  consummation  ruined  many,  who  had  incau 
tiously  adventured  their  whole  fortunes  in  the  speculation. 
A  principal  part  of  the  active  commercial  capital  was  with 
drawn  from  its  accustomed  channels  ;  several  of  the  most 
enter  prizing  merchants  were  deprived  of  their  means,  and 
even  those  who  escaped  the  storm,  were  terrified  at  the 
shock,  and  became  doubtful,  hesitating,  timid,  and  inactive. 
This  may  with  truth  be  said  to  have  been  the  darkest  period 
in  the  history  of  Baltimore.  But  the  principle  of  vitality 
and  increase  is  still  strong  within  her,  and  although  she  has 
risen  but  slowly  from  her  reverses,  she  has  still  risen  and 
continues  to  rise."* 

With  this  brief  historical  account  of  Baltimore,  we  next 
proceed  to  give  some  account  of  the  city  itself.  It  stands 
on  the  top  of  a  small  bay  in  the  river  Patapsco,  14  miles 
from  the  Chesapeake,  and  consists  of  two  portions,  nearly  a 
mile  asunder,  the  upper  of  which  is,  properly  speaking,  the 

*  Picture  of  Baltimore,  1832. 


342  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


BALTIMORE. 


town,  and  the  lower,  called  Fell's  Point,  is  the  harbor.  The 
water  comes  up  to  the  town,  but  it  is  shallow,  and  in  general 
none  but  coasters  go  past  the  point.  The  bay  is  formed  and 
protected  by  a  peninsular  tongue  of  land,  which  stretches 
downwards  into  the  river :  the  entrance  is  narrow,  and  is 
completely  commanded  by  a  fort,  which  sustained  a  heavy 
bombardment  during  the  last  war. 

The  town  is  built  with  considerable  regularity,  upon  por 
tions  of  three  hills  and  their  intervening  valleys ;  many  of 
the  streets  cross  each  other  at  right  angles,  and  they  are  in 
general,  spacious  and  well  paved.  A  large  proportion  of  the 
buildings  are  of  brick  ;  the  more  ancient,  in  consequence 
of  inattention  to  painting,  have  rather  a  gloomy  aspect ;  but 
the  modern  ones  resemble  in  every  respect  those  of  New 
York  and  Philadelphia.  The  public  buildings  and  monu 
ments  indicate  by  their  splendor,  great  wealth  and  enterprize 
in  the  inhabitants.  Some  of  these  buildings  merit  a  particu 
lar  notice. 

The  Merchants'  Exchange,  which  was  begun  in  1815,  is 
one  of  the  objects  most  worthy  of  the  notice  of  a  stranger 
visiting  Baltimore.  It  has  a  front  of  255  feet ;  its  depth  141  ; 
its  general  form  in  plan  is  that  of  the  letter  H  :  but  the  two 
wings  toward  the  west  have  not  yet  been  erected.  It  is  four 
stories  in  height,  including  the  basement,  which  is  vaulted 
throughout.  It  contains  a  hall  86  feet  in  length,  lighted 
from  a  dome  90  feet  above  the  floor.  The  colonnades  are 
to  the  east  and  west,  and  are  composed  each  of  six  Ionic 
columns,  the  shafts  of  which  are  single  blocks  of  Italian  mar 
ble,  and  their  design  and  proportion  are  the  closest  imitation 
of  the  purest  Grecian  model.  The  dome  contains  in  its 
centre  a  repeating  vane,  which,  moving  with  that  on  the  sum 
mit  of  the  dome,  discovers  the  direction  of  the  wind  to  the 
merchants  in  the  hall. 

The  Catholic  Cathedral  is  another  splendid  edifice,  built 
in  the  Ionic  style,  190  feet  long  and  177  feet  wide,  sur 
mounted  by  a  dome  and  a  cross  which  rise  to  the  height  of 
127  feet.  It  is  remarkable  throughout  for  the  chaste  sim 
plicity  of  its  design,  and  the  beautiful  proportion  of  all  its 
parts.  It  contains  by  far  the  largest  organ  in  the  United 
States  ;  it  has  6,000  pipes  and  36  stops.  The  edifice  con 
tains  several  fine  paintings — one,  the  Descent  from  the  Cross, 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  343 


BALTIMORE. 


painted  by  Paulin  Guerin,  a  present  of  Louis  XVI.  to  the 
Archbishop  :  another  represents  St.  Louis  burying  his  offi 
cers  and  soldiers,  slain  before  Tunis.  St.  Louis  could  find 
no  one  to  bury  then),  for  fear  of  contagion  ;  but  that  he 
roic  prince  could  not  bear  to  see  the  bodies  of  so  many  brave 
men  exposed  to  be  devoured  by  hyenas  and  birds  of  prey 
To  encourage  his  army,  he  began  the  work  of  charity,  ac 
companied  by  his  armor-bearer  and  chaplain.  He  is  repre 
sented  as  holding  the  corpse  of  an  officer,  his  relation,  which 
he  lays  down  in  a  rude  grave  made  in  the  sand.  This  valu 
able  painting  is  by  the  celebrated  Steuben.  Charles  X., 
when  king  of  France,  presented  it  to  the  Cathedral. 

The  Socinian  chapel  is  a  more  lightsome  and  tasteful 
fabric,  and  although  not  a  large  building,  is  said  to  have  cost 
100,000  dollars.  The  interior  is  profusely  decorated.  The 
pulpit  is  of  polished  marble,  of  various  colors,  with  a  bap 
tismal  font  before  it  of  the  same  material ;  upon  the  wall  be 
hind  are  two  white  marble  slabs,  resembling  the  tables  of  the 
law  in  the  ancient  picture  of  Moses,  upon  which  are  in 
scribed  a  few  texts  of  Scripture.  The  ends  of  the  pews  are 
beautifully  carved  and  bronzed,  in  imitation  of  the  antique. 
The  ceiling  is  covered  with  rich  stuccoed  work,  and  in  the 
gallery  is  a  large  organ,  the  front  of  which  is  very  tastefully 
finished  in  the  form  of  an  ancient  lyre.  The  effect  of  the 
whole  is  splendid. 

-    Besides  the  above,  St.  Paul's  Church,  the  Court  House,  and 
the  Union  Bank,  are  all  elegant. 

Baltimore  contains  several  public  monuments,  from  which 
it  is  sometimes  called  the  "  Monumental  City."  One  of 
these,  called  the  Washington  Monument,  was  commenced  in 
1815.  It  occupies  the  point  of  a  rising  ground,  a  little  above 
the  city,  at  the  intersection  of  Charles  and  Monument  streets. 
It  is  a  Doric  column,  upon  a  square  base,  and  surmounted 
by  a  pedestal,  upon  which  is  placed*  a  colossal  statue  of 
Washington.  The  base  is  fifty  feet  square,  and  is  elevated 
twenty  feet :  the  column,  to  the  feet  of  the  statue,  is  one 
hundred  and  sixty  feet ;  and  the  statue  is  thirteen  feet  in 
height.  The  statue  is  the  design  and  work  of  Causici,  and 
represents  Washington  at  the  instant  when  he  resigned  his 
commission  (after  the  Revolution)  into  the  hands  from  which 
he  had  received  it. 


344  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


BALTIMORE. 


Another  monument  called  the  "  Battle  Monument,"  is  de 
signed  to  commemorate  the  battle  of  North  Point,  when  the 
British  army  made  a  "  demonstration"  upon  Baltimore  in 
the  year  1814.  The  Battle  Monument  was  erected  by  the 
survivors,  to  the  memory  of  those  who  fell :  and  the  corner 
stone  was  laid  on  the  first  anniversary  of  the  battle,  on  the 
12th  of  September,  1815,  with  all  the  ceremonies  usual 
upon  such  occasions. 

The  Baltimore  Monument  was  designed  by  Maximilian 
Godcfroy,  and  stands  in  Calvert  street,  near  Fayette  street, 
upon  what  was  once  the  site  of  the  "  Old  Court  House,"  but 
which  is  now  called  Monument  Square.  An  Egyptian  base, 
raised  to  the  height  of  about  four  feet  from  the  pavement  of 
the  street,  is  surmounted  by  a  column,  representing  a  fasces, 
upon  the  bands  of  which  are  placed,  in  bronze  letters,  the 
names  of  those  who  fell.  On  each  angle  of  the  base  are 
griffins,  and  the  lower  part  of  the  column  is  ornamented 
with  basso-relievos,  representing  part  of  the  occurrences  of 
the  12th  of  September,  1814;  the  whole  being  crowned  by 
a  statue  of  the  city,  with  the  eagle  at  her  side,  holding  a 
laurel  wreath  suspended  in  her  uplifted  hand.  The  monu 
ment  is  surrounded  by  an  iron  railing,  to  preserve  it  from 
injury  ;  and  at  each  corner  are  lamps  of  iras,  whose  brilliant 
illumination  of  the  spotless  marble  presents  a  most  striking 
effect  at  night.  The  entire  height  of  the  Monument  is  fifty- 
two  feet  two  inches.* 

On  the  south  side  of  the  plinth,  at  the  base  of  the 
column: 

HATTLE 

OF  NORTH  POINT, 
12TH  SEPTEMBER,  A.  D.  1814  ; 

AND  OF  THE  INDEPENDENCE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 
THE  THIRTY-NINTH, 

On  the  north  side  of  the  plinth  : 

BOMBARDMENT 

OF  FORT  M'IIKNRY, 
12TH  SEPTEMBER,  A.  D.  1814  ; 

AND    OF  THE    INDEPENDENCE    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES 
THE    THIRTY-NINTH. 

*  Picture  of  Baltimore. 


346  TRAVELS  AND   SKETCHES 


BALTIMORE. 


Baltimore  is  the  third  or  fourth  city,  in  point  of  commerce, 
in  the  United  States.  As  a  market  for  tobacco,  it  is  second 
to  no  other,  and  it  is  the  greatest  flour  market  in  the  world. 
In  1840  there  were  inspected  764,115  barrels  and  31,606 
half-barrels  of  flour.  Its  tonnage  at  that  time  was  76,022. 
Its  literary  and  scientific  institutions  are  various  and  respect 
able,  and  its  man u factures  are  scarcely  less  extensive  than  its 
commerce.  Several  railroads  connect  it  with  the  surrounding 
country.  The  Baltimore  and  Port  Deposite  railroad  extends 
36  miles,  to  Havre  de  Grace,  and  there  connects  with  a 
chain  of  railroads  to  Philadelphia.  A  branch  of  the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  railroad  extends  to  Washington  City. 

The  Duke  of  Saxe  Weimar,  during  a  stay  in  Baltimore, 
visited  one  of  the  celebrated  flour  mills  of  that  city.  He 
thus  speaks  of  it  :  "The  machine  which  moves  the  wheels 
was  made  by  Bolton  and  Watt,  of  Soho,  in  England,  and  is 
of  sixty  horse  power.  This  mill  has  eight  pair  of  stones, 
of  which  there  are  commonly  but  four  worked  at  a  time ; 
most  of  the  work,  which  in  general  is  done  by  men,  is  per 
formed  by  machinery  connected  with  the  steam-engine ;  a 
long  and  horizontal  chest  leads  from  the  interior  of  the  mill 
to  the  wharf,  .where  the  vessels  with  grain  lie ;  from  the 
vessel,  the  wheat  is  poured  in  one  of  the  extremities  of  the 
chest,  or  rather  channel,  along  whose  whole  length  a  spiral 
screw  runs,  which  by  turning  brings  the  grain  to  a  large 
reservoir  in  the  mill.  By  another  piece  of  machinery,  the 
wheat  is  conveyed  to  the  upper  part  of  the  house,  and 
thrown  into  a  wire  cylinder,  where  it  is  perfectly  fanned, 
and  is  thence  conducted  to  the  hoppers ;  the  flour  falls  into 
a  common  reservoir,  whence  it  is  conveyed  to  a  bolting  ma 
chine.  The  fine  flour  passes  through  a  trough  to  a  place 
where  it  is  spread  by  a  horizontally  revolving  rake,  to  be 
cooled  ;  after  this  it  runs  by  a  spout  to  the  ground  floor, 
where  it  is  packed  in  oaken  barrels.  A  workman  fills  the 
barrel  with  a  shovel,  pushes  it  on  an  iron  ring  forming  part 
of  a  scale,  to  weigh  it,  underneath  a  wooden  block,  which, 
acted  upon  by  a  lever,  presses  the  flour  into  the  barrel  :  this 
block,  after  being  sponged  in  the  common  way,  is  again 
ready  for  use.  Two  hundred  barrels  of  superfine  flour  can 
be  furnished  daily  by  this  mill,  which  works  night  and  day  : 
twelve  workmen  are  sufficient  to  attend  to  all  the  operations. 
The  owner  said  he  could  do  with  fewer,  but  was  unwilling  to 
dismiss  them.  The  engine  has  three  boilers;  one  is  unem- 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  347 


BALTIMORE. 


ployed,  to  be  cleaned,  and  be  in  reserve  in  case  of  an  ac 
cident  ;  from  the  roof  of  the  mill  there  is  a  fine  prospect 
over  the  city  and  harbor."* 

In  our  notice  of  the  city  of  Washington,  an  account  will 
be  found  of  the  invasion  of  that  city  by  the  British,  in 
August  of  1814.  The  success  of  his  attack  on  the  metrop 
olis,  encouraged  General  Ross  to  undertake  an  expedition 
against  Baltimore.  On  the  12th  of  September,  he  landed 
5000  men  at  North  Point,  about  fourteen  miles  from  the 
city.  No  opposition  was  offered  to  the  debarkation,  but  ef 
fective  preparations  had  been  made  for  the  defence  of  the 
city,  and  General  Stryker,  with  3,000  men,  was  despatched 
to  retard  the  progress  of  the  invaders.  The  advanced  par 
ties  met  about  eight  miles  from  the  city.  In  the  skirmish 
which  ensued,  General  Ross,  who  had  incautiously  ridden  to 
the  front  to  ascertain  whence  the  firing  originated,  was  mor 
tally  wounded  by  a  shot  from  a  rifleman.  The  command 
devolved  on  Colonel  Brooke,  under  whom  the  British  ad 
vanced  to  meet  the  main  detachment.  The  battle  was 
better  contested  than  the  affair  of  Bladensburgh.  The 
American  line  was  not  shaken  by  either  the  musketry  or  the 
artillery,  and  did  not  yield,  until  an  engagement  commenced 
with  the  bayonet.  As  soon,  however,  as  their  left  gave  way, 
the  whole  army  fell  into  confusion,  and  a  complete  rout  en 
sued.  On  the  following  day,  the  British  came  in  sight  of 
the  lines  of  Baltimore,  defended  by  from  15,000  to  20,000, 
and  a  large  train  of  artillery.  To  attack  these  in  front, 
would  have  been  exposing  the  assailants  to  tremendous 
slaughter ;  it  was  therefore  determined  to  carry  Fort  M'Hen- 
ry  on  the  extreme  left  of  the  entrenchments,  and  close  to 
the  bank  on  the  river  Patapsco.  It  was  necessary,  however, 
that  the  guns  of  the  fort  should  be  silenced  by  the  fire  of 
the  shipping,  but  so  many  difficulties,  natural  and  artificial, 
were  found  to  be  interposed,  that  the  large  ships  could  not 
get  up.  Deprived  of  the  co-operation  of  the  naval  force,  the 
British  commander  was  unable  to  prosecute  the  enterprise, 
and  the  troops  were  withdrawn.  They  returned  unmolested 
to  North  Point,  and,  the  next  day,  re-embarked.  The  death 
of  General  Ross  seemed  to  have  broken  up  their  plan  of 
operation,  and  the  fleet  soon  afterwards  left  Chesapeake 
Bay,  and  separated. 

*  Duke  of  Saxe  Weimar's  Travels. 


DISTRICT     OF    COLUMBIA. 


WASHINGTON. 

WASHINGTON,  the  seat  of  government  of  the  United 
States,  stands  in  the  centre  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  upon 
the  north  bank  of  the  Potomac,  between  the  river  and  one 
of  its  tributaries,  called  the  East  Branch.  The  Capitol  at 
Washington,  from  which  American  Geographers  often  com 
pute  their  meridian,  is  38°  58'  north  lat.  and  76°  55'  30" 
west  long,  from  Greenwich.  The  city  is  about  1*20  miles 
from  the  junction  of  the  Potomac  with  the  Chesapeake, 
and  about  250  miles  from  the  sea.  The  principal  branch  of 
the  river  flows  down  from  the  west,  and  unites  with  the 
smaller  one  from  the  eastward,  in  front  of  the  city.  Ships 
of  war  of  the  largest  size  can  float  in  safety  three  or  four 
miles  above  the  junction  of  the  streams.  It  was  expected 
that  this  situation  would  have  been  found  to  be  particularly 
favorable  to  commercial  enterprise,  and  consequently  that 
the  population  would  rapidly  increase;  hitherto,  however, 
these  hopes  have  not  been  realized. 

The  selection  of  the  site  of  Washington,  as  the  seat  of 
government,  was  mainly  attributable  to  Gen.  Washington  ; 
but  the  spot  was  not  selected,  until  he  had  made  laborious 
and  interesting  investigations  of  the  surrounding  country. 

The  following  anecdote  is  related  by  Mr.  Custis.  "  The 
canoe,  or  pirogue,  in  which  Gen.  Washington  and  a  party  of 
friends  made  the  first  survey  of  the  Potomac,  to  ascertain 
the  practicability  of  a  navigation  above  tide  water,  was  hol 
lowed  out  of  a  large  poplar  tree,  under  the  direction  of  Col. 
Johnson,  of  Frederick  county,  Maryland.  This  humble  bark 
was  placed  upon  a  wagon,  hauled  to  the  margin  of  the  Mo- 
nocacy,  launched  into  the  stream,  and  there  received  its 
honored  freight. 

The  General  was  accompanied,  in  the  interesting  and  im 
portant  reconnoissance,  by  Colonel  (the  late  Governor)  John 
son,  of  Maryland,  one  of  the  first  Commissioners  of  the 
City  of  Washington,  and  several  other  gentlemen.  At  night 

349 


350  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


WASHINGTON. 


fall,  it  was  usual  for  the  party  to  land  and  seek  quarters  of 
some  of  the  planters,  or  farmers,  who  lived  near  the  banks 
of  the  river,  in  all  the  pride  and  comfort  of  all  old-fashioned 
kindliness  and  hospitality. 

Putting  up  for  the  night,  at  a  respectable  farmer's,  the 
General  and  t\vo  Johnsons  were  shown  into  a  room  having 
but  two  beds.  "  Come,  gentlemen,"  said  the  Chief,  "  who 
will  be  my  bedfellow  ? "  Both  declined.  Col.  Johnson 
often  afterwards  declared — "  Greatly  as  I  should  have  felt 
honored  by  such  distinction,  yet  the  awe  and  reverence 
which  I  always  felt  in  the  presence  of  that  admirable  man 
prevented  my  approaching  him  so  nearly'1 

The  district  which  includes  Washington,  Georgetown, 
and  Alexandria,  was  ceded  to  the  United  States  by  Mary 
land  and  Virginia, — by  the  former  in  1788  ;  the  latter  in 
1789.  On  the  16th  of  July,  1790,  Congress  passed  an  act 
authorizing  the  President  to  appoint  three  commissioners  to 
make  the  selection  of  a  proper  location.  For  this  purpose, 
the  President  issued  his  proclamation  in  1791.  "  By  an  act 
of  May,  1790,  the  commissioners  were  authorized  to  borrow 
money  for  the  advancement  of  the  buildings,  and  to  pledge 
the  lots  that  had  been  given  to  the  United  States,  as  well  as 
the  faith  of  the  government,  to  refund  the  loan.  In  1798, 
an  act  was  passed,  supplementary  to  the  aforesaid  act,  to 
hasten  the  progress  of  the  public  improvements.  So  far 
were  the  public  buildings  finished,  that,  in  April,  1800,  an 
act  was  passed  authorizing  the  President  to  remove,  with  all 
the  departments,  from  Philadelphia  to  the  Federal  City, 
which  had  been  previously  named,  the  City  of  Washington, 
in  honor  of  the  President;  and  in  pursuance  of  this  act  the 
government  was  removed,  and  commenced  operations  in  the 
city,  the  first  day  of  December,  1800.  It  cannot  be  denied 
but  that  the  character,  wishes  and  influence  of  Washington, 
had  no  small  share  in  fixing  the  seat  of  government.  Like 
all  other  of  his  plans,  it  has  proved  to  have  been  dictated  by 
wisdom,  justice,  and  forecast ;  for  the  site  is  one  of  the 
finest  in  the  world  for  a  city.  From  the  hill  on  which 
stands  the  Capitol,  the  most  noble  view  presents  itself  to  the 
eye  of  the  beholder  that  the  imagination  could  paint.  From 
the  north,  round  to  the  south,  a  circular  line  of  high 
grounds  is  seen,  making  within  them  the  interior  of  an  im- 
jnense  amphitheatre,  which,  it  is  said,  resembles  the  appear- 


MOUNT  VERNON. 


GEORGETOWN. 


352  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 


WASHINGTON. 


ance  of  Rome  from  some  of  the  elevations  in  or  near  the 
11  Eternal  City."  The  east  view  is  extensive,  but  not  bound 
ed  by  high  lands;  the  horizon  sinks  with  the  power  of  vis 
ion.  On  the  south,  the  broad  and  peaceful  Potomac  is  seen 
for  many  miles,  extending  to  Alexandria,  and  even  to  Mount 
Vernon.  The  whole  panorama  is  bold,  magnificent,  pictur 
esque,  and  yet  soft  and  beautiful ;  it  only  requires  the  moral 
consecration  of  long  past  events,  the  massy  piles  of  ancient 
grandeur,  the  deep  and  solemn  recollections  of  the  mighty 
dead,  to  make  the  impression,  at  this  view  from  the  capital, 
such  as  crowds  on  the  mind,  when  one  views  the  Vatican, 
or  domes  of  St.  Peter.* 

Soon  after  the  site  of  Washington  was  fixed  upon,  the 
territory  from  all  quarters  became  the  subject  of  speculation. 
By  this  means  a  fictitious  value  was  given  to  the  lands,  which 
served  to  retard  the  growth  of  the  city.  The  whole  con 
cern  was  badly  managed.  The  dwelling  houses  which  were 
erected  were  small  and  inconvenient.  For  some  years,  great 
doubts  were  entertained,  whether  it  would  continue  long  to  be 
the  seat  of  government.  Such  was  the  state  of  things  up  to 
1814,  when  the  burning  of  the  capital  and  of  the  president's 
house  by  the  British,  settled  the  question.  "  When  Con 
gress  next  assembled,"  observes  the  author  already  cited, 
"  the  subject  of  rebuilding  these  edifices  came  before  that 
body,  and  the  question  as  to  the  removal  of  the  legislature 
was  necessarily  discussed.  An  effort  was  made  for  the  re 
moval  of  the  seat  of  government.  The  national  feeling, 
however,  co-operated  with  other  considerations,  to  influence 
the  decision  ;  it  was  voted  not  to  remove,  and  the  requisite 
amount  was  enthusiastically  voted  to  efface  the  memorials  of 
British  triumph.  From  this  time,  the  corporation  of  the 
city  seemed  to  be  animated  with  a  new  soul,  and  individuals, 
relieved  from  the  fear  of  change,  risked  all  they  had  in  real 
estate.  Landed  property  arose  in  value,  and  hope,  energy, 
and  active  business,  took  the  place  of  despair,  listlessness, 
and  wasting  and  repining  indolence.  New  streets  were 
opened,  dwelling  houses  and  stores  were  then  erected.  The 
trade  came  to  the  city,  the  boarders  left  Georgetown,  and 
came  to  Washington,  and  a  new  face  was  put  on  every  thing 
in  the  city  :  churches  were  built,  institutions  of  learning 

*  Sketches  of  Public  Characters. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  353 


WASHINGTON. 


arose,  and  large,  if  not  ample  provision  was  made  for  other 
necessary  improvements  on  the  face  of  nature.  This  work 
has  been  going  on  ever  since  the  close  of  the  war  ;  but  it 
must  be  pleasant  to  the  citizens  of  Washington  to  reflect, 
when  all  things  are  taken  into  consideration,  that  they  are 
not  indebted  to  the  government,  in  equity,  for  one  dollar  for 
all  their  grants  and  favors  ;  but  that  in  truth,  the  government 
is  indebted  to  the  city,  for  more  than  a  million  of  dollars, 
putting  a  fair  value  on  the  property  now  owned  by  the  Uni 
ted  States  within  the  city,  which  cost  them  nothing.  Bless 
ings  are  said  to  come  in  clusters  ;  for  as  soon  as  the  city 
began  to  flourish,  it  became  healthy.  The  low  grounds 
were  drained,  and  the  fever  and  ague,  once  prevalent,  is  now 
rarely  known  among  the  evils  of  Washington  ;  and  at  pres 
ent  the  city  is  decidedly  as  healthy  as  any  in  the  United 
States,  or  perhaps  in  the  world.  The  water  of  Washington 
is  of  the  best  quality,  and  can  be  brought  to  every  door  in  the 
greatest  abundance  at  a  very  moderate  expense." 

The  original  plan  of  the  city  was  on  a  most  extensive 
scale.  A  parallelogram  more  than  four  miles  and  a  half 
long,  and  two  miles  broad,  was  regularly  divided  into  streets, 
avenues,  and  squares  :  and  should  the  anticipations  of  its 
founders  be  realized,  this  will,  after  all,  be  but  the  nucleus 
of  the  future  metropolis.  The  streets  are  laid  out  towards 
the  cardinal  points,  crossing  each  other  at  right  angles ;  the 
avenues  intersect  these  diagonally,  so  as  to  avoid  the  tire 
some  sameness  which  is  observable  in  the  streets  of  Philadel 
phia,  and  extensive  squares  are  to  be  placed  at  the  crossings 
of  these  transverse  lines.  The  avenues  are  from  130  to  160 
feet  wide  ;  the  streets  from  80  to  1 10.  Population  40,000. 

The  Capitol  is  a  large  and  magnificent  building  of  white 
free  stone,  352  feet  long,  in  the  shape  of  a  cross,  with  the 
Representatives'  Hall  and  the  Senate  Chamber  in  the  two 
wings,  and  a  spacious  rotunda  in  the  centre.  It  covers  an 
acre  and  a  half,  and  1,820  feet  of  ground.  It  has  cost  the 
United  States  nearly  three  millions  of  dollars.  The  square 
on  which  the  Capitol  stands,  contains  more  than  twenty  acres, 
and  is  laid  out  in  a  handsome  style,  and  is  filling  up  with 
trees  and  shrubbery  in  a  flourishing  state.  The  dome  of  this 
building  is  the  third  in  point  of  size  in  the  world  ;  next  to  St. 
Paul's,  and  before  St.  Sophia's. 

The  Representatives'  Hall  is  semi-circular,  95  feet  in 

23 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  355 


WASHINGTON. 


length,  and  60  in  height.  Along  its  circumference  are  placed 
fourteen  marble  columns,  reaching  to  the  vaulted  dome, 
and  fancifully  tied  together  under  the  cornice  by  festoons  of 
red  damask.  The  gallery  for  the  public,  which  is  raised 
about  twenty  feet  above  the  floor  of  the  house,  extends  along 
the  whole  circuit,  behind  these  columns.  In  the  centre,  be 
low,  sits  the  speaker,  from  whose  chair  seven  passages  radi 
ate  to  the  circumference,  whilst  the  members  sit  in  concentric 
rows  facing  the  speaker  ;  the  whole  arrangement  being  not 
unlike  in  form  to  that  of  half  a  spider's  web.  Every  member 
has  a  snug,  stuffed,  comfortable  arm-chair  allotted  to  him, 
besides  a  writing-desk  furnished  with  all  the  apparatus  of 
paper,  pens  and  ink,  and  a  drawer  underneath,  of  which  he 
keeps  the  key. 

This  noble  room,  or  more  properly  amphitheatre,  is  not 
well  adapted  for  hearing.  Were  it  actually  a  theatre,  and 
the  audience  seated  where  the  members  are  placed,  while  the 
actors  addressed  them  from  the  corridor  or  open  space  behind 
the  speaker's  chair,  along  the  diameter  of  the  semi-circle,  it 
might  do  very  well ;  because  the  speaker,  when  addressing 
the  house  from  the  chair,  was  heard  distinctly  enough  by  the 
members.  It  was  always  difficult,  however,  for  any  member 
of  the  house  to  make  himself  heard. 

The  Senate  Chamber  is  similar  in  form  to  that  of  the  Hall 
of  Representatives,  but  of  course  it  is  much  smaller  ;  the  di 
ameter  of  the  semi-circle  being  only  75  feet. 

"  These  beautiful  chambers,"  observes  an  English  travel 
ler,  "  are  calculated  to  make  an  impression  very  favorable  to 
the  dignity  of  the  deliberative  assemblies  which  occupy  them ; 
and  the  general  appearance  of  the  members  does  not  mate 
rially  impair  it.  Many  of  them  have  the  appearance  of  Eng 
lish  country  gentlemen  ;  and  a  considerable  portion  of  them 
are  lawyers,  who  carry  in  their  faces  those  marks  of  intellec 
tual  exertion,  which  seem  to  plead  some  apology  for  having 
sacrificed  little  to  the  graces.  Some  of  the  members  from  the 
western  country,  indeed,  would  look  a  little  queer  in  our 
House  of  Commons.  The  proceedings,  both  of  the  Senate 
and  the  House  of  Representatives,  seem  to  be  conducted  with 
great  order  and  decorum,  and  with  a  courtesy  and  attention 
to  the  feelings  of '  honorable  gentlemen,'  which  I  was  not 
prepared  to  expect.  The  style  of  their  best  speakers  is  flu- 


356  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


WASHINGTON. 


ent,  forcible,  and  perspicuous  ;  and  in  cases  where  it  is  not 
possible  that  their  argument*  should  be  sound,  they  seldom 
fail  to  be  specious  and  acute.  My  friend,  who  would,  I  be 
lieve,  be  considered  the  first  authority  on  the  subject,  told 
me,  that  he  considered  their  two  prominent  faults  to  be,  a 
proneness  to  engage  in  dissertation,  and  to  pursue  the  inves 
tigation  of  a  difficult  question,  which  had  been  started  inci 
dentally  in  the  course  of  the  debate,  without  ascertaining 
whether  its  solution  was  absolutely  necessary  to  the  original 
discussion.  He  regards  the  frequent  change  of  members 
in  the  House  of  Representatives  as  inimical  to  the  acquisition 
of  that  knowledge,  or  the  formation  of  those  habits,  so  de 
sirable  in  a  deliberative  assembly;  and  deprecates  the  custom 
into  which  they  have  fallen,  of  referring  every  thing  to  com 
mittees,  as  tending  in  effect  to  leave  to  the  decision  of  a  few, 
many  questions,  which  ought  to  be  argued  upon  general  prin 
ciples,  by  the  House  at  large. 

"  It  is  usual  for  ladies  to  attend  when  any  interesting  de 
bate  is  expected.  Ordinarily,  they  are  admitted  only  into 
the  gallery  ;  but  instances  have  occurred,  when  they  have 
been  allowed  a  seat  on  the  floor.  The  reporters  for  the 
newspapers  have  a  place  assigned  them  behind  the  speaker's 
chair.  Except  when  some  remarkably  good  speaker  has 
'  possession  of  the  floor,'  the  members,  instead  of  attending 
to  what  is  spoken,  are  busied  in  conversation,  in  writing  let 
ters,  rapping  the  sand  off  the  wet  ink  with  their  knuckles, 
rustling  the  countless  newspapers  which  deluge  the  house, 
locking  or  unlocking  their  drawers,  or  moving  up  and  down 
the  avenues  which  divide  the  ranges  of  seats,  and  kicking 
before  them,  at  every  step,  printed  reports,  letter  covers,  and 
other  documents  strewed  on  the  floor.  A  couple  of  active 
little  boys  are  always  seen,  running  to  and  fro  .with  armfuls 
of  papers,  or  carrying  slips  of  writing  from  members  to  the 
chair,  or  from  member  to  member.  VVhenever  any  one  rises 
to  speak,  who,  there  is  any  reason  to  infer,  from  experience, 
or  from  internal  evidence,  will  be  lengthy,  one  of  these  little 
mercuries  flies  off  for  a  glass  of  water,  which  he  places  on  the 
orator's  desk." 

The  Rotunda  occupies  the  centre,  and  is  96  feet  in  diam 
eter,  and  96  feet  high.  This  is  the  principal  entrance  from 
the  east  portico  and  west  stair,  and  leads  to  the  legislative 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  357 


WASHINGTON. 


hall  and  library.  The  panels  of  the  circular  walls  are  appro 
priated  to  paintings  and  bas-relievos,  or  historical  subjects,  by 
different  artists. 

Over  the  west  door  of  the  dome  is  a  group  in  bas-relief, 
representing  the  preservation  of  Captain  John  Smith  from 
the  wrath  of  Powhattan  by  the  kind  interference  of  his 
daughter  Pocahontas.  This  is  the  work  of  an  Italian  art 
ist,  by  the  name  of  Capelano  ;  but  he  has  represented  his 
Indians  as  Italians,  and  his  intended  child  of  the  forest  an 
Italian  queen.  Notwithstanding  its  defects,  the  work  at 
tracts  much  attention  and  admiration.  Over  the  east  door 
is  a  representation  of  the  landing  of  the  pilgrims  at  Plymouth 
in  1620.  The  Indians  on  the  rocks,  the  boat,  the  shore, 
the  sea,  are  all  well  executed,  but  the  artist  mistook  in 
giving  the  adventurers  the  hat  of  the  ancient  pilgrim,  and 
the  dress  also.  The  sculptor  was  Causici.  Over  the  north 
door  is  a  sculpture  of  William  Penn  in  the  act  of  making 
his  treaty  with  the  Indians  in  1680.  In  the  sculpture 
itself  there  is  neither  beauty  nor  attraction — the  spirit  of 
the  piece  arises  only  from  the  moral  sublimity  of  the  sub 
ject. 

On  the  panels  between  the  doors  are  several  fine  heads — 
one  of  Columbus,  which  is  thought  to  be  something  near 
a  true  likeness,  bearing  a  strong  resemblance  to  some  fine 
pictures  of  him.  The  head  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  is  a  fine 
one,  resembling  the  best  prints  of  him.  The  heads  of  La 
Salle  and  Sebastian  Cabot,  although  rough  statuary,  have 
considerable  expression  and  life  in  them.  Over  the  great 
eastern  door  there  is  a  head  of  Washington,  which  is  ad 
mired  by  many,  and  is  certainly  a  specimen  of  very  good 
proficiency  in  the  art.  In  addition  to  these,  the  Rotunda 
contains  four  splendid  pictures  from  Revolutionary  subjects, 
painted  by  order  of  the  government  of  the  United  States,  by 
Colonel  Trumbull.  These  are — 1.  Declaration  of  Indepen 
dence.  2.  Surrender  of  General  Burgoyne.  3.  Surrender 
of  the  British  army  at  Yorktown.  4.  Resignation  of  Gen 
eral  Washington  at  Annapolis.  More  appropriate  embellish 
ments  for  the  halls  of  the  national  legislature  could  not  have 
been  devised.  These  paintings  are  valuable  for  the  faithful 
portraits  they  furnish.  Some  critics  have  found  fault  with 
the  grouping  of  the  figures,  and  the  apparent  stiffness  of  the 
principal  officers ;  but  there  is  a  redeeming  virtue  in  the  de- 


358  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


WASHINGTON. 


sign,  sufficient  to  confer  real   and  everlasting  value  on  the 
paintings. 

Passing  from  the  Rotunda,  westerly,  along  the  gallery  of 
the  principal  stairs,  the  library  room  door  presents  itself.  This 
room  is  9'2  feet  long,  by  34  wide,  and  36  high.  It  is  divided 
into  twelve  arched  alcoves,  ornamented  with  fluted  pilasters, 
copied  from  the  pillars  in  the  celebrated  Octagon  Tower  at 
Athens.  The  first  Congressional  Library,  which  was  se 
lected  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Gallatin,  Dr.  Mitchell,  and 
others,  consisted  of  about  three  thousand  volumes,  and  was 
burnt  by  the  British,  at  the  close  of  the  last  war.  The  to 
tal  loss  of  the  library  induced  Mr.  Jefferson  to  offer  his  val 
uable  collection,  comprising  about  10,000  volumes,  which 
was  immediately  purchased,  though  an  objection  was  made 
to  the  infidel  character  of  some  of  the  volumes,  and  the  too 
great  number  of  Bibles,  which  it  contained.  It  has  since 
been  considerably  increased. 

The  apartment  for  the  accommodation  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  on  the  basement  story  of  the  north  wing,  immedi 
ately  below  the  Senate  room,  is  of  a  semi-circular  shape,  with 
the  windows  to  the  east  to  admit  the  light,  which  enters 
awkwardly  and  feebly,  at  the  backs  of  the  judges  on  the  bench. 
The  arches,  in  the  ceiling,  diverge  like  the  radii  of  a  circle, 
from  a  point  over  the  justice-seat,  to  the  circumference.  On 
the  wall  is  an  emblem  of  justice  holding  her  scales,  in  bold  re 
lief,  and  also  a  figure  of  fame,  crowned  with  the  rising  sun, 
and  pointing  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  The 
members  of  the  bar  are  conveniently  accommodated  with  seats 
and  desks  in  the  body  of  the  apartment ;  and  the  visitors  are 
furnished  with  rows  of  benches  on  the  right  and  left  wings  of 
the  centre  of  the  court. 

"  This  room,"  remarks  the  author  of  Sketches  of  Pub 
lic  Characters,  "  is  one  of  deep  interest  to  every  lover  of 
his  country.  To  see  seven  quiet,  good-looking  men,  covered 
with  a  slight  robe  of  black,  without  enough  of  the  insignia  of 
office  to  tell  them  from  so  many  pall-bearers,  sitting  together, 
listening  to  the  arguments  of  men  from  every  State  in  the 
Union,  on  great  and  important  questions  of  municipal,  civil, 
and  international  law  ;  and  thus  without  any  emotion  or  ex 
citement,  settling  all  the  conflicting  opinions  that  have  grown 
up  in  this  republic  since  its  formation,  is  a  specimen  of  the 


360  TRAVELS  AND  SKETCHES 


WASHINGTON. 


moral  sublime,  unequalled  in  the  annals  of  civil  or  ecclesias 
tical  history.  These  oracles  of  the  Delphic  cave  have  as  yet 
been  free  from  the  corruptions  or  fear  of  executive  power,  and 
uninfluenced  by  party  strife  in  the  halls  of  legislation.  As  long 
as  this  sanctuary  is  unassailed,  and  talents  and  integrity  are 
selected  and  maintained  in  this  branch  of  government,  so 
long  will  it  be  the  palladium  of  American  liberties  ;  but  wo 
betide  the  hour  when  political  rancor  shall  come  within  these 
walls  to  poison  the  fountains  of  justice,  or  to  weaken  her  arm. 
The  bickerings  above  them,  in  the  senate  chamber,  may  pass 
away,  and  the  many  boisterous  and  idle  speeches  be  forgot 
ten,  while  the  country  is  safe;  but  once  pollute  this  hall,  and 
the  guardian  genius  of  the  liberties  of  this  country  will  leave 
it  forever." 

The  President's  house  is  a  magnificent  mansion.  "  It 
stands  near  the  centre  of  one  of  the  largest  squares  of  the 
city,  on  an  eminence  nearly  a  mile  and  a  half  west  from  the 
Capitol.  The  building  is  of  the  Ionic  order,  with  a  southern 
and  a  northern  point.  It  is  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
feet  long,  and  eighty-five  in  width ;  it  has  two  lofty  stories 
above  the  basement.  There  are  thirty-one  rooms  of  consid 
erable  size,  within  the  walls.  As  you  enter  the  north  door, 
there  is  a  fine  large  hall,  called  the  entrance  hall.  At  the 
left  of  this  is  the  eastern  room,  whose  length  is  the  width  of 
the  house,  making  a  room  in  the  clear  eighty  feet  in  length, 
forty  feet  in  width,  and  twenty-eight  in  height,  with  four  fire 
places,  two  of  them  of  elegant  marble  jambs,  mantel-pieces, 
&/c.  From  the  south  of  the  hall,  you  enter  the  elliptical 
room,  which  is  the  general  audience  room  on  levee  nights. 
The  east  room  was  intended  for  a  general  audience  room, 
and  the  elliptical  room  to  receive  foreign  ambassadors  and 
public  functionaries,  on  occasions  of  ceremony  ;  but  the  east 
room  not  having  been  furnished  until  lately,  the  elliptical 
room  has  been  used  for  all  public  ceremonies.  East  of  the 
elliptical  room  is  the  Green  Drawing  Room  ;  this  is  of  a 
medium  size  for  such  an  edifice.  On  the  west  of  the  ellipti 
cal  room  is  the  Yellow  Drawing  Room  ;  on  the  west  from 
this  is  the  large  Dining  Room,  of  a  fine  size;  and  farther 
west  still  is  the  small  Dining  Room;  and  beyond  this  is  the 
Porter's  Room. 

"  The  north  front  of  the  upper  story  contains  six  rooms 
for  various  purposes.  The  south  front  has  seven  rooms  ;  the 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  361 


WASHINGTON. 


ante-chambers,  the  audience  chamber,  and  ladies'  parlor  ;  this 
is  directly  over  the  elliptical  room,  and  of  the  same  size  of 
that.  The  basement  story  contains  eleven  rooms,  kitchen, 
pantry,  butler's  room,  &>c.  These  are  cool  and  convenient 
in  the  summer,  and  warm  in  the  winter,  from  the  massy  walls 
of  the  edifice. 

"  Some  of  the  furniture  of  the  house  is  elegant,  but  in 
general  it  looks  much  abused  from  the  crowds  of  careless 
visiters.  The  ladies'  parlor  may  be  said  to  be  superb'ly  fur 
nished,  but  this  remark  does  not  extend  to  many  other  rooms. 
Within  twelve  years  past,  Congress  have  expended  eighty 
thousand  dollars  in  furnishing  this  mansion,  and  there  was 
some  old  furniture  of  the  former  stocks.  Some  portion  of 
the  plate  is  elegant,  and  is  now  worth  twenty  thousand  dol 
lars,  or  more. 

"  The  ornaments  are  sparse  and  not  of  high  order.  In 
the  second  south-east  room,  there  is  a  map  of  Virginia,  a 
portrait  of  Bolivar,  a  bust  of  Washington,  and  one  of  Amer- 
icus  Vespucius.  These  latter  ornaments  are  very  good 
specimens  of  the  arts.  In  the  third  room,  the  ante-chamber, 
there  is  an  engraving  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  in 
a  gilt  frame.  In  the  yellow  drawing  room  is  a  portrait  of 
Washington,  from  the  pencil  of  Stuart.  In  this  room  is  a 
French  piano,  which,  it  is  said,  cannot  be  kept  in  tune.  In 
the  days  of  omens,  when  Memnon's  harp  responded  to  the 
rays  of  the  sun,  or  ^Eolus  first  breathed  among  the  reeds,  this 
might  be  thought  to  have  a  mysterious  bearing  on  the  jars 
of  the  cabinet  councils,  or  at  least  a  Greek  poet  would  have 
said  that  the  genius  of  the  place  was  not  always  happy  and 
tuneful.  This  palace  belongs  to  the  people,  and  should  be 
adorned  with  the  best  specimens  of  the  fine  arts  the  country 
can  produce.  The  works  of  the  great  painters  should  hang 
upon  the  walls,  and  those  of  their  sculptors  fill  every  niche. 
To  the  tenants  of  this  house,  it  cannot  be  of  much  im 
portance,  for  to  them  it  is  only  a  caravansera,  where  they 
throw  down  their  wallets  to  cast  a  horoscope  to  lay  spirits, 
and  raise  spells,  and  their  hour  comes,  and  they  take  up  their 
march,  without  restoration  to  health  or  a  forgiveness  of  their 
sins.  Such  is  the  omnipotence  of  the  public  mind  in  a  free 
government.  The  whole  square,  except  a  few  spaces  for 
iron  gates,  is  surrounded  by  a  substantial  stone  wall,  of  ex 
cellent  masonry.  The  four  public  offices  of  the  Secretaries 
aje  within  these  walls.  The  view  from  the  north  front  is 


362  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

WASHINGTON. 

extensive  and  beautiful,  but  from  the  south  front  it  is  more 
extensive  and  still  more  resplendent,  embracing  in  its  range 
a  lovely  prospect  of  the  Potomac. 

"  The  site  of  the  house  is  elevated  about  sixty  feet  above 
the  river,  and  the  descent  is  quite  gradual  to  it.  On  the 
south-eastern  side  of  the  wall,  there  is  a  stone  arch  for  a  gate 
way  ;  it  looks,  from  the  antiquity  of  the  style  and  the  color 
of  the  material  of  which  it  is  made,  as  if  it  had  stood  centu 
ries,  defying  the  climate.  Two  large  ancient  weeping  wil 
lows,  one  on  each  side  of  the  arch,  add  much  to  its  venera 
ble  appearance.  These  trees  have  not  grown  up  since  the 
date  of  the  federal  constitution.  They  are  older  than  the 
city  charter.  They  were  provincial  seedlings,  now  national 
monuments.  It  is  said  that  an  accomplished  lady  of  the 
Or  cat  House,  in  former  days,  when  congratulated  upon  her 
elevation,  remarked  with  a  smile,  '  I  don't  know  that  there 
is  much  cause  for  congratulation  ;  the  President  of  the  United 
States  generally  comes  in  at  the  iron  gate,  and  goes  out  at 
the  weeping  willows.'  "* 

It  belongs  to  this  place  to  give  some  account  of  the  usages 
and  ceremonies  of  the  interior  of  this  house.  We  speak  only 
of  those  which  are  public,  and  about  which  the  world  has 
some  curiosity. 

During  the  session  of  Congress,  the  President  has  frequent 
dinner  parties.  Mr.  Cooper  gives  the  following  account  of  a 
dinner  to  which  he  was  invited,  during  the  administration  of 
President  Monroe. 

"  On  this  occasion,  we  were  honored  with  the  presence  of 
Mrs.  Monroe,  and  two  or  three  of  her  female  relatives. 
Crossing  the  hall,  we  were  admitted  to  a  drawing  room,  in 
which  most  of  the  company  were  already  assembled.  The 
hour  was  six.  By  far  the  greater  part  of  the  guests  were 
men,  and  perhaps  two-thirds  were  members  of  Congress.  It 
is  unnecessary  to  describe  a  company  that  was  composed  of 
a  very  fair  representation  of  the  whole  country,  the  very 
lowest  classes  always  excepted.  There  was  great  gravity  of 
mien  in  most  of  the  company,  and  neither  any  very  marked 
exhibition,  nor  any  positively  striking  want,  of  grace  of  man 
ner.  The  conversation  was  common-place,  and  a  little 
sombre,  though  two  or  three  men  of  the  world  got  around 

*  Sketches  of  Public  Characters. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  363 


WASHINGTON. 


the  ladies,  where  the  battle  of  words  was  maintained  with 
sufficient  spirit.  I  do  not  know  that  it  differed  materially 
from  a  reunion  any  where  else.  To  me  the  entertainment 
had  rather  a  cold  than  a  formal  air.  When  dinner  was  an 
nounced,  the  oldest  Senator  present,  (there  were  two,  and 
seniority  of  service  is  meant,)  took  Mrs.  Monroe  and  led  her 
to  the  table.  The  rest  of  the  party  followed  without  much 
order.  The  President  took  a  lady,  as  usual,  and  preceded 
the  rest  of  the  guests. 

"  The  drawing  room  was  an  apartment  of  a  good  size,  and 
of  just  proportions.  It  might  have  been  about  as  large  as  a 
better  sort  of  Paris  salon,  in  a  private  hotel.  It  was  furnish 
ed  in  a  mixed  style,  partly  English  and  partly  French,  a  cus 
tom  that  prevails  a  good  deal,  in  all  the  fashions  of  this 
country.  It  was  neat,  sufficiently  rich,  without  being  at  all 
magnificent,  and,  on  the  whole,  was  very  much  like  a  similar 
apartment  in  the  house  of  a  man  of  rank  and  fortune  in 
Europe.  The  dining  room  was  in  a  better  taste  than  is 
common  here,  being  quite  simple,  and  but  little  furnished. 
The  table  was  large  and  rather  handsome.  The  service  was 
in  china,  as  is  uniformly  the  case,  plate  being  exceedingly 
rare,  if  at  all  used.  There  was,  however,  a  rich  plateau, 
and  a  great  abundance  of  the  smaller  articles  of  table  plate. 
The  cloth,  napkins,  &,c.  &c.,  were  fine  and  beautiful. 

"  The  dinner  was  served  in  the  French  style,  a  little 
Americanized.  The  dishes  were  handed  round,  though 
some  of  the  guests,  appearing  to  prefer  their  own  customs, 
very  coolly  helped  themselves  to  what  they  found  at  hand. 
Of  attendants  there  were  a  good  many.  They  were  neatly 
dressed,  out  of  livery,and  sufficient.  To  conclude,  the  whole 
entertainment  might  have  passed  for  a  better  sort  of  European 
dinner  party,  at  which  the  guests  were  too  numerous  for 
general  or  very  agreeable  discourse,  and  some  of  them  too 
new  to  be  entirely  at  their  ease.  Mrs.  Monroe  arose,  at 
the  end  of  the  dessert,  and  withdrew,  attended  by  two  or 
three  of  the  most  gallant  of  the  company.  No  sooner  was 
his  wife's  back  turned,  than  the  President  re-seated  himself, 
inviting  his  guests  to  imitate  the  action.  After  allowing  his 
guests  sufficient  time  to  renew,  in  a  few  glasses,  the  recol 
lections  of  similar  enjoyments  of  their  own,  he  arose  himself, 
giving  the  hint  to  his  company,  that  it  was  time  to  join  the 
ladies.  In  the  drawing  room,  coffee  was  served,  and  every 
body  left  the  house  before  nine. 


364  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

WASHINGTON. 

"  On  the  succeeding  Wednesday,  Mrs.  Monroe  opened 
her  doors  to  all  the  world.  No  invitation  was  necessary, 
it  being  the  usage  for  the  wife  of  the  President  to  receive 
company  once  a  fortnight  during  the  session,  without  dis 
tinction  of  persons. 

"  We  reached  the  White  House  at  nine.  The  court  (or 
rather  the  grounds)  was  filled  with  carriages,  and  the  com 
pany  was  arriving  in  great  numbers.  On  this  occasion  two 
or  three  additional  drawing  rooms  were  opened,  though  the 
frugality  of  Congress  has  prevented  them  from  finishing  the 
principal  reception  room  of  the  building.  I  will  acknowledge 
the  same  sort  of  surprise  that  I  felt  at  the  Castle  Garden 
fete,  at  finding  the  assemblage  so  respectable,  in  air,  dress, 
and  deportment.  Determined  to  know  exactly  in  which  view 
to  consider  this  ceremony,  I  gave  my  companion  no  peace 
until  every  thing  was  explained. 

"  The  evening  at  the  White  House,  or  the  drawing  room, 
as  it  is  sometimes  pleasantly  called,  is  in  fact  a  collection  of 
all  classes  of  people,  who  choose  to  go  to  the  trouble  and 
expense  of  appearing  in  dresses  suited  to  an  ordinary  evening 
party.  I  am  not  sure  that  even  dress  is  much  regarded  ;  for 
I  certainly  saw  a  good  many  there  in  boots.  The  females 
were  all  neatly  and  properly  attired,  though  few  were  orna 
mented  with  jewelry.  Of  course  the  poorer  and  laboring 
classes  of  the  community  would  find  little  or  no  pleasure  in 
such  a  scene.  They  consequently  stay  away.  The  infamous, 
if  known,  would  not  be  admitted  :  for  it  is  a  peculiar  conse 
quence  of  the  high  tone  of  morals  in  this  country,  that  grave 
and  notorious  offenders  rarely  presume  to  violate  the  public 
feeling  by  invading  society.  Perhaps  if  Washington  were  a 
large  town,  the  '  evenings'  could  not  exist;  but  as  it  is,  no 
inconvenience  is  experienced. 

"  Squeezing  through  the  crowd,  we  achieved  a  passage  to 
a  part  of  the  room,  where  Mrs.  Monroe  was  standing,  sur 
rounded  by  a  bevy  of  female  friends.  After  making  our  bow 
here,  we  sought  the  President.  The  latter  had  posted  him 
self  at  the  top  of  the  room,  where  he  remained  most  of  the 
evening,  shaking  hands  with  all  who  approached.  Near  him 
stood  all  the  Secretaries,  and  a  great  number  of  the  most 
distinguished  men  of  the  nation.  Individuals  of  importance 
from  all  parts  of  the  Union  were  also  here,  and  were  em 
ployed  in  the  manner  usual  to  such  scenes. 

"  Besides   these,   one   meets  here  a  variety  of  people  in 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  365 


WASHINGTON. 


other  conditions  of  life.  I  have  known  a  cartman  leave  his 
horse  in  the  street,  and  go  into  the  reception  room  to  shake 
hands  with  the  President.  He  offended  the  good  sense  of  all 
present,  because  it  was  not  thought  decent  that  a  laborer 
should  come  in  a  dirty  dress  on  such  an  occasion;  but 
while  he  made  a  trifling  mistake  in  this  particular,  he 
proved  how  well  he  understood  the  difference  between  gov 
ernment  and  society.  He  knew  the  levee  was  a  sort  of 
homage  paid  to  political  equality  in  the  person  of  the  first 
magistrate,  but  he  would  not  have  presumed  to  enter  the 
house  of  the  same  person  as  a  private  individual,  without 
being  invited,  or  without  a  reasonable  excuse  in  the  way  of 
business. 

"There  are,  no  doubt,  individuals,  who  mistake  the  char 
acter  of  these  assemblies,  but  the  great  majority  do  not.  They 
are  simple,  a  periodical  acknowledgment,  that  there  is  no 
legal  barrier  to  the  advancement  of  any  one  to  the  first  asso 
ciation  in  the  Union.  You  perceive  there  are  no  masters  of 
ceremonies,  no  ushers,  no  announcing,  nor  indeed  any  let  or 
hindrance  to  the  ingress  of  all  who  please  to  come ;  and  yet 
how  few,  in  comparison  to  the  whole  number  who  might  en 
ter,  do  actually  appear.  If  there  is  any  man  in  Washington 
so  dull  as  to  suppose  equality  means  a  right  to  thrust  himself 
into  any  company  he  pleases,  it  is  probable  he  satisfies  him 
self  by  boasting  that  he  can  go  to  the  White  House  once  a 
fortnight  as  well  as  a  governor  or  any  body  else." 

"  At  the  distance  of  about  200  yards,  on  the  east  of  the 
President's  house,  are  situated  two  buildings  for  the  depart 
ments  of  State,  and  of  the  Treasury,  and  at  the  same  dis 
tance  on  the  west,  are  others  for  the  War  and  Navy  depart 
ments.  These  buildings  are  all  of  the  same  dimensions  and 
construction ;  they  are  160  feet  long,  and  55  wide,  of  brick, 
two  stories  in  height;  they  are  divided  in  their  length  by  a 
broad  passage,  with  rooms  on  each  side  and  a  spacious  stair 
case  in  the  centre.  The  two  most  northerly  buildings  are 
ornamented  with  an  Ionic  portico  of  six  columns,  aricl  pedi 
ment;  and  every  observer  must  be  convinced  that  the  two 
other  buildings  require  some  such  finish  on  their  south  points 
to  make  them  complete.  The  grounds  about  these  offices 
have  been  graduated  and  planted,  of  late  years;  and  the 
shrubbery  begins  to  make  a  pleasing  appearance. 

"  In  walking  through  these  offices,  a  reflecting  visiter  can 
not  fail  to  be  impressed  with  favorable  ideas  of  the  system 


366  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


WASHINGTON. 


and  order  with  which  the  affairs  of  this  great  people  are  con 
ducted.  The  heads  of  departments,  with  250  clerks,  of  every 
grade,  occupy  these  buildings.  They  exhibit  no  sinecure 
places,  but  are  all  engaged  in  the  business  of  their  employ 
ments,  and  with  as  little  of  relaxation  as  is  compatible  with  a 
due  attention  to  health." 

There  are  other  objects  of  interest  and  curiosity  in  Wash 
ington,  a  notice  of  which  we  are  obliged  to  omit,  by  reason 
of  the  unexpected  length  to  which  this  article  has  been  ex 
tended.  The  state  of  society  at  Washington,  however,  de 
mands  a  brief  notice.  "  In  many  respects,"  remarks  Mr. 
Hodgson,  "  Washington  reminded  me  very  much  of  a  water 
ing  place.  Scarcely  any  of  the  members  reside  here,  except 
while  Congress  is  sitting ;  and  then  they  are  in  lodgings. 
The  ladies  who  accompany  their  fathers  or  husbands,  to  see 
a  little  of  the  world,  are  situated  very  much  as  they  would  be 
at  Harrowgate,  or  Cheltenham  ;  and  there  are  usually  many 
strangers  in  pursuit  of  entertainment.  It  is  the  residence 
also  of  the  foreign  ministers,  and  the  heads  of  the  depart 
ments  of  Government.  All  this  gives  rise  to  much  dissipa 
tion.  On  some  of  the  evenings  there  are  routs  at  the  houses 
of  one  or  other  of  the  ministers  of  the  corps  diplomatique, 
and  the  rest  are  generally  anticipated  by  one  or  two  invita 
tions.  All,  however,  complain  that  this  routine  becomes 
very  dull  before  the  session  closes,  as  they  meet  almost  the 
same  persons  every  evening,  and  the  sober  ones  will  seldom 
go  out  above  two  or  three  times  a  week.  Families  who  are 
acquainted  with  each  other,  often  board  together  at  the  large 
taverns  ;  and  the  members  who  are  bachelors  for  the  time 
being,  form  messes,  at  the  private  boarding-houses,  where 
they  are  often  in  very  close,  and  sometimes  very  shabby 
quarters.  I  think  quite  the  majority  of  the  members  go  to 
the  Capitol  in  hackney  coaches  ;  and  as  the  ground  has  been 
covered  with  snow,  I  have  several  times  seen  a  sledge  and 
four,  with  eight  or  ten  senators  from  Georgetown,  in  the 
neighborhood. 

"  The  literary  taste  of  the  inhabitants  now  does  them 
credit,  and  it  is  every  day  growing  better.  The  visiters  find 
but  little  time  to  devote  to  reading,  and  their  previous  ac 
quirements  are  sufficient  for  all  the  demands  of  the  occasion  ; 
and  to  the  honor  of  the  country,  I  speak  of  the  ladies  more 
particularly,  these  are  sufficient  for  their  purpose.  In  some 
of  the  prettiest,  a  close  observer  will  see  the  lisp  or  drawl  of 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  367 


WASHINGTON. 


the  drawing  room  conversation,  which  is  only  a  manner  put 
on  for  the  time.  In  the  moments  of  intoxicated  vanity,  from 
admiration  and  flattery,  even  the  political  philosopher  looks 
wise  and  straightens  up ;  and  can  youth  and  beauty  be  ex 
pected  to  be  more  firm  or  insensible  1  The  diplomatic  corps 
of  Washington  have  not,  in  former  years,  done  much  either 
to  enrich,  embellish,  or  enlighten  the  city.  Those  who  have 
been  sent  here  in  former  times,  have,  with  some  honorable 
exceptions,  been  of  a  secondary  order  of  diplomatists,  with 
their  equipage  and  parties,  and  after  making  a  dash,  have 
hardly  been  heard  of  again.  Many  of  them,  no  doubt,  were 
men  of  talents;  but  there  was  no  opportunity  of  displaying 
their  intellectual  powers  here.  The  corps  are  now,  however, 
very  respectable."* 

"  During  the  session  of  Congress,"  the  same  writer  con 
tinues,  "  the  amusements  of  Washington,  absorb  no  small 
portion  of  the  attention  of  the  visiters,  as  well  as  members. 
Political  struggles  possess  a  sort  of  dramatic  influence  on  so 
ciety  ;  not  that  the  theatre  is  very  well  attended  ;  but  for  the 
short  time  it  is  kept  open,  it  finds  a  very  tolerable  support, 
when  the  press  of  visiters  is  great.  The  President's  levees, 
and  the  parties  of  the  Secretaries,  foreign  ministers,  heads 
of  Bureaus,  and  those  citizens,  who  can  afford  to  make  par 
ties,  are  frequent,  and  well  attended.  At  these  parties  are 
collected  the  most  distinguished  men,  not  only  of  the  nation, 
but  many  foreigners  of  note. 

"  The  visiters  who  do  not  think  of  distinction,  like  well 
enough  to  see  what  is  passing,  and  they  find  easy  access  to 
the  social  circles,  and  mingle  in  the  throng,  to  see  and  ex 
amine  for  themselves.  It  is  not  difficult  to  get  an  intro 
duction  to  men  of  importance,  and  to  pass  a  social  half  hour 
with  them.  These  routs  are  rather  to  be  remembered,  than 
enjoyed  at  the  moment.  These  parties  are  so  crowded  as  to 
level  all  distinctions.  Governors,  generals,  judges,  and  po 
litical  managers,  whose  influence  is  something  in  a  little  dis 
trict,  are  all  lost  in  this  congregation.  Orators,  whose 
speeches  were  fine  at  home,  and  doubtless  raised  a  most  no 
ble  flame  among  their  political  partisans,  are  astonished  at 
being  overlooked  ;  and  poets,  whose  works  have  been  printed 
on  wire-wove  and  hot-pressed  paper,  and  sent  to  the  ladies' 
toilets  in  silk  and  morocco  binding,  are  mortified  that  not 

*  Sketches  of  Public  Characters. 


368  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


WASHINGTON. 


even  a  belle  lisps  a  line  of  their  works,  or  ever  whispers 
their  names.  The  traveller,  who  has  seen  every  kingdom 
on  which  the  sun  looks  down,  is  put  precisely  on  a  par 
with  him  who  has  just  come  down  from  the  mountains,  or 
out  of  the  West,  or  from  the  East.  Fashion  is  the  bed  of 
Procrustes,  and  all  are  suited  to  its  dimensions.  A  whiskered 
dandy,  a  black-stocked,  officer-like  looking  man,  and  a 
quizzing-glass  allache,  are  all  moving  about,  regardless  of 
those  they  jostle  or  crowd.  If  you  inquire  who  it  is  that 
pushes  you  out  of  the  way  to  get  at  a  partner  for  the  waltz, 
nobody  can  tell  you,  and  perhaps  he  hardly  could  himself,  if 
you  were  to  ask  him  who  he  was :  no  matter,  he  seems  gen 
teel,  and  that  is  sufficient  for  the  hour.  The  waltz  goes  on, 
much  to  the  gratification  of  the  exquisites ;  for  belles — aye, 
grave  matrons,  are  swimming  round  in  the  dance,  if  Dervise- 
like  whirling  can  be  called  dancing;  and  you  see  blowsy  im 
pudence  and  simpering  familiarity  gazing  with  Asiatic  volup 
tuousness  upon  seemingly  unsuspecting  innocence,  made 
giddy  by  unnatural  motion,  or  unmeaning  flattery."* 

Allusion  has  been  made  in  the  preceding  pages,  to  an  in 
vasion  of  Washington  by  the  British  during  the  last  war  of 
the  Americans  with  that  power.  In  the  beginning  of  August, 
1814,  a  British  squadron  of  between  fifty  and  sixty  sail,  ar 
rived  in  the  Chesapeake  ;  of  this  force  several  frigates  and 
bomb  vessels  were  ordered  to  ascend  the  Potomac  ;  another 
division  under  Sir  Peter  Parker,  was  directed  to  threaten 
Baltimore ;  the  main  body  ascended  the  Patuxent  as  far  as 
Benedict,  where  on  the  19th  of  August,  5000  men  com 
manded  by  General  Ross,  were  landed. 

In  the  meanwhile  General  Winder,  who  had  command  of 
the  American  military  district,  somewhat  anticipated  the  de 
signs  of  the  enemy  ;  but,  still,  not  certain  of  their  object,  had 
called  upon  the  militia  to  repair  to  his  standard.  But  the 
call  was  by  no  means  responded  to,  according  to  the  exigency 
of  the  case.  On  the  22d,  not  more  than  2000  had  assembled. 
At  the  head  of  these  and  of  1000  regulars,  he  took  a  position 
not  far  from  the  enemy,  intending  to  prevent  their  progress 
into  the  country. 

General  Ross  with  his  forces  commenced  his  march  to 
wards  Washington,  the  Americans  retiring  before  him.  At 

*  Sketches  of  Public  Character. 


COMMMODORE  BARNEY. 


24 


370  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


WASHINGTON. 


Bladensburgh,  six  miles  from  Washington,  a  battle  was  fought, 
General  Winder  commanding  the  American  force — and 
Commodore  Barney  a  small  flotilla.  The  British  were  com 
manded  by  Major  General  Ross,  and  Rear  Admiral  Cock- 
burn.  The  Americans  were  repulsed,  and  the  British  ad 
vanced  towards  the  capital.  A  body  of  militia  had  been  as 
sembled  in  this  emergency  ;  but  the  President  and  heads  of 
departments,  on  reviewing  the  force  brought  out  for  defence, 
despaired  of  success,  and  dispersed.  General  Ross,  at  the 
head  of  about  seven  hundred  men,  took  possession  of  Wash 
ington,  and  burned  the  Capitol  or  Senate  house,  the  Presi 
dent's  house,  and  the  public  offices,  the  arsenal,  the  navy 
yard,  and  the  bridge  over  the  Potomac.  The  loss  of  the 
British  in  this  expedition  was  nearly  a  thousand  men,  in 
killed,  wounded,  and  missing  ;  the  loss  of  the  Americans  was 
ten  or  twelve  killed,  and  thirty  or  forty  wounded.  Commo 
dore  Barney's  horse  was  killed  under  him,  and  himself 
wounded  in  the  thigh  and  taken  prisoner  ;  but  he  vvasparolled 
on  the  field  of  battle  for  his  bravery. 

The  destruction  of  the  national  edifices,  a  British  writer 
remarks,  "  has  reflected  a  very  'equivocal  glory'  upon  its 
perpetrators.  It  was  a  wanton  and  useless  outrage  upon  the 
feelings  of  the  nation."  And,  says  an  intelligent  British 
traveller,  "Of  all  the  errors  committed  on  our  part  during 
that  unhappy  war,  this  was  undoubtedly  the  greatest.  Setting 
aside  the  question  as  to  its  abstract  defensibility,  on  the 
ground  of  retaliation  or  otherwise,  it  is  obvious,  that  it  was  in 
the  highest  degree  impolitic  ;  because  its  immediate  effect, 
as  might  have  been  anticipated,  was  to  break  down  party 
spirit  among  the  Americans,  and  to  unite  them  as  one  man, 
in  support  of  the  measures  of  government.  The  firebrand 
was  no  sooner  applied  to  their  Chief  Magistrate's  Palace,  and 
the  National  Senate  House,  than  thousands,  who  had  from 
the  beginning  maintained  a  systematic  opposition  to  the  con 
test,  at  once  came  forward  and  took  up  arms  to  maintain  it: 
their  national  feelings  were  roused  into  powerful  excitement, 
and  they  joined  in  one  loud  voice  of  execration,  at  the  de 
struction  of  their  national  edifices.  Our  ministers,  had  such 
been  their  object,  could  not  have  devised  a  more  effectual 
way  of  strengthening  Mr.  Madison's  hands.  Had  our  troops 
recorded  their  triumph  upon  the  front  walls  of  the  buildings, 
and  left  them  uninjured,  the  indignant  feeling  of  humiliation 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  371 


WASHINGTON. 


would  have  wreaked  itself  on  those  by  whose  imbecility  the 
capture  of  the  city  had  been  occasioned,  and  who  escaped  so 
nimbly,  when  it  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands.  The  burning 
of  the  buildings  saved  Mr.  Madison.  A  thirst  for  revenge  of 
the  insult  overcame  every  other  feeling  ;  and  the  war  became 
thenceforward,  what  it  had  not  been  before,  decidedly  popu 
lar  and  national." 

Among  the  objects  in  the  vicinity  of  Washington  which 
are  of  especial  interest  to  every  American,  is  Mount  Vernon, 
the  celebrated  seat  of  General  Washington ;  bequeathed  by 
him  to  the  Hon.  Bushrod  Washington,  the  General's  nephew, 
and  lately  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court.  No  one 
who  visits  Washington,  will  fail  to  visit  Mount  Vernon  ;  and 
no  one  who  describes  the  former,  needs  any  apology  for  de 
scribing  the  latter.  This  celebrated  spot  is  8  miles  from 
Alexandria,  and  15  from  Washington.  We  avail  ourselves 
of  Mr.  Duncan's  account  of  the  seat  and  sepulchre  of  the 
father  of  his  country. 

"  At  the  bottom  of  the  avenue  to  Mount  Vernon,  the  gate 
was  opened  to  us  by  an  old  negro,  who  had  survived  the 
master  of  his  youth,  and  who  now  receives  from  many  a  vis- 
iter,  substantial  tokens  of  the  universal  respect,  which  is  en 
tertained  for  his  memory.  The  avenue  is  narrow,  and  in 
bad  order  ;  it  has  indeed  more  the  air  of  a  neglected  country 
road,  than  the  approach  to  a  gentleman's  residence.  The 
mansion-house,  an  old-fashioned  building  of  two  stories,  sur 
mounted  with  a  small  turret  and  weathercock,  stands  on  an 
elevated  situation,  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Potomac;  it  is 
built  of  wood,  but  the  walls  are  plastered  in  imitation  of  rus 
ticated  freestone.  The  back  part  of  the  house  is  to  the 
river  ;  at  the  other  side  are  two  small  wings  at  right  angles 
to  the  principal  building,  and  connected  by  piazzas,  which 
bend  towards  them,  so  as  to  form  a  kind  of  irregular  crescent. 
Opposite  the  hall  door  is  a  semi-circular  grass  plot,  surrounded 
with  a  gravel  walk,  and  shaded  on  both  sides  by  lofty  trees  : 
two  beautiful  chestnuts  were  pointed  out  to  me,  which  sprang 
from  nuts  planted  by  the  General's  own  hand.  On  the  two 
sides  are  the  vegetable  and*  flower  gardens,  in  the  latter  of 
which  is  a  green-house. 

"  The  mansion-house  was  originally  built  by  Washington's 
uncle,  who  had  served  in  the  British  navy  under  Admiral 
Vernon,  and  who  commemorated  his  regard  for  his  com- 


372  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 


WASHINGTON. 


manding  officer,  by  the  name  which  he  gave  to  his  estate. 
Some  partial  alterations  were  made  on  the  house  by  the 
General ;  but  report  says,  that  he  subsequently  regretted  that 
he  did  not  entirely  rebuild  it.  It  is  an  old-fashioned,  per 
haps  not  a  very  comfortable  residence,  according  to  modern 
ideas  of  comfort ;  but  it  ought  now  to  be  considered  sacred, 
and  have  the  most  unremitting  care  bestowed  on  its  preserva 
tion.  He  will  be  worse  than  a  Vandal  who  presumes  to  pull 
it  down.  In  the  hall  hangs  a  picture  of  the  Bastile,  and  in  a 
small  glass  case  above  it,  is  an  ancient  key,  which  formerly 
turned  the  bolt  of  one  of  the  dreary  locks  in  that  house  of 
sighs.  It  was  sent  out  to  Washington  by  the  Marquis  La 
fayette,  after  the  destruction  of  the  Bastile,  as  an  inscription 
affixed,  in  his  hand-writing,  records.  Over  the  mantel-piece 
is  a  framed  miniature  of  the  General,  which  was  cut  out  of  a 
piece  of  common  earthen  ware.  It  is  a  singular  fact,  that 
this  is  regarded  by  the  family  as  the  most  accurate  likeness 
that  exists.  The  general  contour  of  his  face  is  well  ascer 
tained,  and  there  is  a  strong  similarity  in  most  of  the  por 
traits  ;  yet  those  who  knew  him  best,  agree  that  there  was  a 
certain  expression  in  his  countenance,  which  is  quite  wanting 
even  in  Stuart's  painting,  and  in  the  engraving  which  was 
executed  from  it.  This  very  ordinary  kind  of  daub,  which 
was  broken  out  of  a  common  pitcher,  and  probably  executed 
by  some  potter's  apprentice,  is  said  to  possess  more  of  this 
intellectual  characteristic,  than  any  of  the  other  portraits. 

"  At  the  back  of  the  house,  a  lofty  piazza  stretches  along 
the  whole  length  of  the  building  ;  and  before  it,  the  ground 
slopes  rapidly  towards  the  river,  and  soon  becomes  quite  pre 
cipitous.  On  the  bank  is  a  small  tea  house,  which  affords 
a  most  commanding  view  of  the  surrounding  scenery.  The 
Potomac  widens  into  a  bay  before  you,  and,  bending  round 
the  base  of  Mount  Vernon,  seems  almost  to  insulate  the 
promontory  on  which  it  stands  ;  then  sweeping  in  the  op 
posite  direction  round  the  projecting  shore  of  Maryland,  and 
lost  for  a  time  in  its  vast  forest,  it  reappears  in  noble  ex 
panse  about  ten  miles  below,  with  the  sunbeams  flashing 
from  its  surface,  and  rolling  its  mighty  current  into  the  yet 
more  ample  bosom  of  the  Chesapeake. 

"A  little  to  the  right  of  the  tea-house,  and  nearer  to  the 
edge  of  the  bank,  is  the  tomb  of  Washington.  Here,  under 
the  peaceful  shade  of  oaks  and  cedars,  lies  all  that  earth  con 
tains  of  him,  by  whose  energy  and  patriotism  the  United 


374  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


WASHINGTON. 


States  became  a  nation  !  No  venerable  cathedral  rears  its 
arches  over  his  remains  ;  no  sumptuous  mausoleum  embalms 
his  memory. 

1  Si  inonumentuin  quaeris,  circumspice  !  * 

His  country  is  his  monument;  his  country's  liberty  his  only 
panegyric. 

"  Washington  in  his  will  designated  the  spot  in  which 
he  wished  to  be  interred,  and  particularly  directed  that  his 
body  should  not  afterwards  be  removed.  The  cemetery  is 
nothing  more  than  a  plain  brick  vault,  almost  level  with  the 
ground ;  it  is  encircled  by  venerable  oaks,  and  some  beauti 
ful  red  cedars  in  the  mould  which  covers  the  roof.  Visiters 
were  formerly  allowed  to  see  the  interior,  but  some  person 
having  had  the  rudeness  to  strip  part  of  the  cloth  from  the 
coffin,  all  access  to  it  is  now  forbidden.  Subsequently  to 
this  prohibition,  the  servant  who  had  been  entrusted  with 
the  key,  conceived  the  horrible  idea  of  robbing  the  vault, 
for  the  purpose  of  carrying  off  the  body  to  Britain,  to  ex 
hibit  for  money  !  His  intention  was  happily  discovered, 
and  the  nefarious  outrage  prevented.  It  is  difficult,  indeed, 
to  imagine  how  it  could  have  been  carried  into  effect,  with 
out  immediate  detection  ;  but  the  projector  must  have  been 
a  fool  to  suppose  that  such  atrocity  would  have  been  coun 
tenanced  in  Britain,  or  that  he  would  have  been  permitted 
for  a  single  day  to  carry  on  so  abominable  a  trade. 

"  The  State  of  Virginia  applied  to  the  relatives  of  the 
General,  for  permission  to  remove  the  body  to  Richmond, 
to  erect  a  monument  over  it,  and  it  is  said  that,  notwith 
standing  the  specific  injunctions  of  the  will,  the  family 
were  persuaded  to  consent  to  this  proposal.  Several  years, 
however,  have  since  elapsed ;  and  as  no  provision  has  yet 
been  made  for  carrying  the  proposed  plan  into  effect,  it  is 
generally  believed  that  no  claim  will  be  founded  upon  that 
permission.  Congress,  it  is  reported,  wish  to  transfer  the 
body  to  the  seat  of  government,  and  to  entomb  it  under 
the  centre  dome  of  the  capitol.  If  it  be  ever  removed 
from  its  present  situation,  certainly  the  capitol  is  its  only 
suitable  resting  place.  No  individual  State  should  be 
allowed  to  possess  a  deposit,  which,  if  the  family  relinquish 
it,  is  undoubtedly  the  property  of  the  nation,  and  should 
pass  into  no  other  guardianship.  Beyond  all  question, 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  375 

WASHINGTON. 

however,  the  proper  place  for  Washington's  ashes  is  where 
they  are.  The  secluded  spot  harmonizes  with  every  idea 
which  we  have  formed  of  his  character,  while  the  powerful 
influence  of  local  associations,  gives  vividness  to  our  con 
ceptions,  and  intensity  to  our  emotions.  In  the  capitol, 
every  thing  would  have  an  opposite  tendency.  It  is  a 
building  which  Washington  never  saw,  and  which  is  no 
way  connected  with  his  personal  history  :  it  has  once  been 
reduced  to  ashes  ;  and  what  would  in  all  probability  have 
been  the  fate  of  the  body  had  the  removal  taken  place  be 
fore  that  event?  In  visiting  the  tomb  of  Nelson,  in  the 
vaults  of  St.  Paul's,  it  is  not  the  wondrous  achievements 
of  the  hero  which  chiefly  occupy  our  thoughts  ;  there  is 
nothing  in  those  damp  and  dismal  caverns,  which  is  at  all 
in  harmony  with  such  recollections.  An  attendant  pilots 
you,  by  the  yellow  glimmering  of  a  tallow  candle,  through 
tartarean  darkness,  to  the  quarry  of  granite  under  which 
he  is  buried:  and  while  wandering  round  it,  your  thoughts 
are  engrossed  with  the  opening  which  was  made  in  the 
floor  of  the  church  to  lower  the  coffin  through,  and  of  the 
prodigious  labor  it  must  have  cost  to  pile  up  over  it  such 
ponderous  masses  of  stone.  Nelson  you  scarcely  think  of; 
your  ideas  are  all  engaged  about  those  who  buried  him. 
At  Mount  Vernon  no  such  distraction  takes  place.  You 
look  around  upon  scenery  which  Washington  often  con 
templated  ;  you  tread  the  turf  over  which  he  walked;  you 
see  the  gardens  in  which  he  amused  himself;  the  trees 
which  he  planted  ;  the  house,  the  rooms,  the  chair,  which 
he  occupied ;  arid  the  humble  vault  which  he  himself  chose 
for  the  repose  of  his  dust.  Every  thing  is  consistent ;  the  ef 
fect  is  harmonious  and  powerful.  Mount  Vernon  alone 
should  be  Washington's  grave." 

"  On  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Potomac,  and  a  very  little 
way  further  up,  is  a  small  intrenchment,  named  Fort  Wash 
ington,  which  commands  the  channel  of  the  river.  Had  it 
been  vigorously  defended  when  our  vessels  went  up  the 
river  to  Alexandria,  it  is  believed  that  it  might  have  arrested 
their  progress.  When  our  troops,  however,  were  on  their 
march  to  Washington,  the  officer  who  commanded  it  blew  it 
up  and  made  off.  There  was  no  sufficient  cause  for  such  a 
proceeding  ;  yet  it  is  said  that  he  obeyed  to  the  letter  the  or 
ders  of  his  superior  officer.  I  was  quite  gratified  to  hear 
from  a  gentleman  of  Judge  Washington's  family,  that  when 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  377 


WASHINGTON. 


the  British  ships  of  war  passed  Mount  Vernon,  they  honored 
the  memory  of  the  departed  hero,  by  lowering  their  foretop- 
sails,  and  their  bands,  as  another  gentleman  informed  me. 
played  Washington's  march.  That  was  indeed  a  manifesta 
tion  of  most  correct  and  honorable  feeling  on  the  part  of  the 
commanding  officer. 

"  I  have  mentioned  that  the  avenue  to  Mount  Vernon 
had  a  neglected  appearance;  I  am  sorry  to  add  that  similar 
neglect  pervades  other  parts  of  the  establishment.  The 
flower-garden  and  green-house  are  nearly  gone  to  decay  ;  the 
teahouse  on  the  bank  of  the  river  is  almost  in  ruins  ;  in 
deed,  its  upper  story  from  which  a  more  extensive  view  may 
be  obtained,  is  at  present  inaccessible,  for  the  ladder  to  it 
retains  but  one  foot  at  top  and  another  at  bottom.  Even 
the  door  of  the  vault  is  to  all  appearance  so  crazy,  that  I 
think  a  kick  would  go  far  to  knock  it  to  pieces.  It  is  painful 
to  observe  such  an  air  of  desolation  in  so  interesting  a 
spot,  and  I  would  cherish  the  hope  that  it  will  speedily  be 
removed."*  ^ 

During  the  visit  of  Lafayette  to  the  United  States,  he  paid 
a  visit  to  Mount  Vernon  and  the  tomb  of  Washington,  which 
is  thus  described  by  Mr.  Lavasseur  : 

"  After  a  voyage  of  two  hours  the  guns  of  Fort  Washing 
ton  announced  that  we  were  approaching  the  last  abode  of 
the  father  of  his  country.  At  this  solemn  signal,  to  which 
the  military  band  accompanying  us  responded  by  plaintive 
strains,  we  went  on  deck,  and  the  venerable  soil  of  Mount 
Vernon  was  before  us ;  at  this  view  an  involuntary  and 
spontaneous  movement  made  us  kneel.  We  landed  in  boats, 
and  trod  upon  the  ground  so  often  worn  by  the  feet  of 
Washington.  A  carriage  received  Gen.  Lafayette,  and  the 
other  visiters  silently  ascended  the  precipitous  path,  which 
conducted  to  the  solitary  habitation  of  Mount  Vernon.  In 
re-entering  beneath  this  hospitable  roof,  which  had  sheltered 
him  when  the  reign  of  terror  tore  him  violently  from  his 
country  and  family,  George  Lafayette  felt  his  heart  sink 
within  him  at  no  more  finding  him,  whose  paternal  care 
had  softened  his  misfortunes,  whose  example  and  wise  coun 
sel  inspired  his  youthful  mind  with  those  generous  sentiments 
which  at  present  render  him  an  example  of  good  citizenship, 
a  model  to  parents  and  husbands,  the-  most  devoted  of  sons, 

*  Duncan's  Travels. 


378  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


WASHINGTON. 


the  most  stable  of  friends.  His  father  again  sought  with 
emotion  for  every  thing  which  reminded  him  of  the  compan 
ion  of  his  glorious  toils. 

"  Three  nephews  of  General  Washington  took  Lafayette, 
his  son,  and  myself,  to  conduct  us  to  the  tomb  of  their  un 
cle  ;  our  numerous  companions  remained  in  the  house  ;  in  a 
few  minutes  after,  the  cannon  of  the  fort,  thundering  anew, 
announced  that  Lafayette  rendered  homage  to  the  ashes  of 
Washington.  Simple  and  modest  as  he  was  during  life,  the 
tomb  of  the  citizen  hero  is  scarcely  perceived  amid  the 
sombre  cypresses  by  which  it  is  surrounded  :  a  vault  slightly 
elevated  and  sodded  over,  a  wooden  door  without  inscrip 
tion,  some  withered  and  some  green  garlands,  indicate  to  the 
traveller  who  visits  this  spot,  the  place  where  rests  in  peace 
the  puissant  amis  which  broke  the  chains  of  his  country. 
As  we  approached,  the  door  was  opened  ;  Lafayette  descend 
ed  alone  into  the  vault,  and  a  few  minutes  after  re-appeared, 
with  his  eyes  overflowing  with  tears.  He  took  his  son  and 
me  by  the  hajMl,  and  led  us  into  the  tomb,  where  by  a  sign 
he  indicated  the  coffin  of  his  paternal  friend,  alongside  of 
which  was  that  of  his  companion  in  life,  united  to  him  forever 
in  the  grave.  We  knelt  reverentially,  near  his  coffin, which  we 
respectfully  saluted  with  our  lips;  rising,  we  threw  ourselves 
into  the  arms  of  Lafayette,  and  mingled  our  tears  with  his. 

"  In  leaving  the  vault,  we  were  met  by  the  three  nephews 
of  Washington:  one  of  them,  Mr.  Custis,  presented  General 
Lafayette  with  a  gold  ring,  containing  some  of  the  hair  of 
the  great  man,  and  we  returned  to  the  house,  where  our 
companions  awaited  us.  An  hour  was  devoted  to  visiting  the 
house  and  grounds,  which  at  present  belong  to  a  nephew  of 
Washington,  who  bears  the  same  name,  and  is  one  of  the 
judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  He  has 
made  no  alteration  in  the  property  left  him  by  his  uncle,  for 
whose  memory  he  entertains  the  most  profound  and  tender 
respect.  George  Lafayette  assured  us  that  every  thing  in 
the  house  was  as  he  saw  it  twenty-eight  years  ago.  He 
found,  in  the  place  where  Washington  himself  had  left  it,  the 
principal  key  of  the  Bastile,  which  was  sent  him  by  Lafayette, 
at  the  time  this  monument  of  despotism  was  destroyed.  The 
note  sent  with  the  key  is  still  carefully  preserved." 

Washington  closed  hii  useful  and  eventful  life  on  the  night 
of  the  14th  Dec.,  1799.  The  following  account  of  his  last 
hours  is  from  "  Custis's  Recollections  :  " 


OLD  TOMB  OF  WASHINGTON. 


NEW  TOMB  OF  WASHINGTON. 


380  TRAVELS  AND  SKETCHES 


WASHINGTON. 


"  On  the  morning  of  the  thirteenth,  the  General  was  en 
gaged  in  making  some  improvement  in  front  of  Mount  Ver- 
non.  As  was  usual  with  him,  he  carried  his  own  compass, 
noted  his  observations,  and  marked  out  the  ground.  The 
day  became  rainy,  with  sleet,  and  the  improver  remained  so 
long  exposed  to  the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  as  to  be  con 
siderably  wetted  before  his  return  to  the  house.  About  one 
o'clock  he  was  seized  with  dullness  and  nausea,  but  having 
changed  his  clothes,  he  sat  down  to  his  in-door  work — there 
being  no  moment  of  his  time  for  whicli  he  had  not  provided 
an  appropriate  employment. 

"  At  night,  on  joining  his  family  circle,  the  General  com 
plained  of  slight  indisposition,  and,  after  a  single  cup  of  tea, 
repaired  to  his  library,  where  he  remained  writing  until  be 
tween  eleven  and  twelve  o'clock.  Mrs.  Washington  retired 
about  the  usual  family  hour,  but  became  alarmed  at  not  hear 
ing  the  accustomed  sound  of  the  library  door,  as  it  closed  for 
the  night,  and  gave  signal  for  rest  in  the  well-regulated  man 
sion,  she  arose  again  and  continued  sitting  up,  in  much  anx 
iety  and  suspense.  At  length  the  well-known  step  was 
heard  on  the  stair,  and  upon  the  General's  entering  his  cham 
ber,  the  lady  chided  him  for  staying  up  so  late,  knowing  him 
self  to  be  unwell ;  to  which  Washington  made  this  memorable 
reply  :  '  I  came  as  soon  as  my  business  was  accomplished. 
You  well  know,  that,  through  a  long  life,  it  has  been  my  un 
varied  rule  never  to  put  off  till  the  morrow  the  duties  which 
should  be  performed  to-day.' 

"  Having  first  covered  up  the  fire  with  care,  the  man  of 
mighty  labors  sought  repose  ;  but  it  came  not  as  it  had  long 
been  wont  to  do,  to  comfort  and  restore,  after  the  many  and 
earnest  occupations  of  the  well-spent  day.  The  night  was 
spent  in  feverish  restlessness  and  pain.  '  Tired  nature's 
sweet  restorer,  balmy  sleep,'  was  destined  no  more  to  visit 
his  couch ;  yet  the  manly  sufferer  uttered  no  complaint, 
would  permit  no  one  to  be  disturbed  in  their  rest  on  his  ac 
count,  and  it  was  only  at  daybreak  he  would  consent  that 
the  overseer  might  be  called  in,  and  bleeding  resorted  to. 
A  vein  was  opened,  but  without  affording  relief.  Couriers 
were  despatched  to  summon  Dr.  Craik,  the  family  physician, 
and  Drs.  Dick  and  Brown,  as  consulting  physicians,  all  of 
whom  came  with  speed.  The  proper  remedies  were  admin 
istered,  but  without  producing  their  healing  effects,  while  the 
patient,  yielding  to  the  anxious  looks  of  all  around  him,  waived 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  381 

WASHINGTON. 

his  usual  objections  to  medicines,  and  took  those  which  were 
prescribed,  without  hesitation  or  remark.  The  medical  gen 
tlemen  spared  not  their  skill,  and  all  the  resources  of  their 
art  were  exhausted,  in  unwearied  endeavors  to  preserve  this 
noblest  work  of  nature. 

"  The  night  approached — the  last  night  of  Washington  ; 
the  weather  became  severely  cold,  while  the  group  gathered 
nearer  to  the  couch  of  the  sufferer,  watching  with  intense 
anxiety  for  the  slightest  dawning  of  hope.  He  spoke  but  little. 
To  the  respectful  and  affectionate  inquiries  of  an  old  family 
servant,  as  she  smoothed  down  his  pillow,  how  he  felt  him 
self,  he  answered,  '  I  arn  very  ill.'  To  Dr.  Craik,  his  earliest 
companion  in  arms,  longest  tried  and  bosom  friend,  he  ob 
served,  '  I  am  dying,  sir, — but  am  not  afraid  to  die.'  To 
Mrs.  Washington,  he  said,  '  Go  to  my  escritoire,  and  in  the 
private  drawer  you  will  find  two  papers, — bring  them  to  me.' 
They  were  brought.  He  continued  :  '  These  are  my  wills 
— preserve  this  one,  and  burn  the  other.'  'Which  was  ac 
cordingly  done.  Calling  to  Col.  Lear,  he  said,  '  Let  my 
corpse  be  kept  the  usual  period  of  three  days.'  " 

The  patient  bore  his  acute  suffering  with  manly  fortitude 
and  perfect  resignation  to  the  Divine  will — while,  as  the 
night  advanced,  it  became  evident  that  he  was  sinking,  and 
he  seemed  fully  aware  that  his  "  hour  was  nigh."  Pie  in 
quired  the  time,  and  it  was  answered,  a  few  moments  to 
twelve.  He  spoke  no  more, — the  hand  of  death  was  upon 
him,  and  he  was  conscious  that  his  "  hour  was  come."  With 
surprising  self-possession,  he  prepared  to  die.  Composing 
his  form  at  length,  and  folding  his  arms  upon  his  bosom, 
without  a  sigh,  without  a  groan,  the  father  of  his  country 
expired,  gently,  as  though  an  infant  died.  Nor  pang  nor 
struggle  told  when  the  noble  spirit  took  its  noiseless  flight; 
while  so  tranquil  appeared  the  manly  features  in  the  repose 
of  death,  that  some  moments  had  passed  ere  those  around 
could  believe  the  patriarch  was  no  more. 

"  It  may  be  asked,  and  why  was  the  ministry  of  religion 
wanting  to  shed  its  peaceful  and  benign  lustre  upon  the  last 
hours  of  Washington  1  Why  was  he,  to  whom  the  observance 
of  sacred  things  were  ever  primary  duties  through  life, 
without  their  consolations  in  his  last  moments  1  We  an 
swer,  circumstances  did  not  permit.  It  was  but  for  a  little 
while  that  the  disease  assumed  so  threatening  a  character  as 
to  forbid  the  encouragement  of  hope,  yet  to  stay  that  sum 
mons  which  none  may  refuse,  to  give  farther  days  to  him, 


382  TRAVELS  AND  SKETCHES 


WASHINGTON. 


whose  'time-honored  life'  was  so  dear  to  mankind,  prayer 
was  not  wanting  to  the  Throne  of  Grace. — Close  to  the  couch 
of  the  sufferer,  resting  her  head  upon  that  ancient  book, 
with  which  she  had  been  wont  to  hold  pious  communion,  a 
portion  of  every  day,  for  more  than  half  a  century,  was  the 
venerable  consort ;  absorbed  in  silent  prayer,  and  from  which 
she  only  rose  when  the  mourning  group  prepared  to  bear 
her  from  the  chamber  of  the  dead.  Such  were  the  last  hours 
of  Washington !  " 

The  following  tribute  to  the  exalted  virtues  of  this  illus 
trious  man,  from  the  pen  of  Lord  Brougham,  may  with  pro 
priety  close  this  brief  notice  of  one  who  was  "  first  in  war — 
first  in  peace — and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen." 

"  How  grateful  the  relief  which  the  friend  of  mankind, 
the  lover  of  virtue,  experiences,  when,  turning  from  the 
contemplation  of  such  a  character,  [Napoleon,]  his  eye 
rests  upon  the  greatest  of  our  own  or  of  any  other  age  ;  the 
only  one  upon  whom  an  epithet  so  thoughtlessly  lavished  by 
men  to  foster  the  crimes  of  their  worst  enemies,  may  indeed 
be  innocently  and  justly  bestowed  !  In  Washington  we  truly 
behold  a  marvellous  contrast  to  almost  every  one  of  the  en 
dowments  and  the  vices,  which  we  have  been  contemplating ; 
and  which  are  so  well  fitted  to  excite  a  mingled  admiration, 
and  sorrow,  and  abhorrence.  With  none  of  that  brilliant 
genius  which  dazzles  ordinary  minds;  with  not  even  any  re 
markable  quickness  of  apprehension  ;  with  knowledge  less 
than  almost  all  persons  in  the  middle  ranks,  and  many  well- 
educated  of  the  humbler  classes  possess;  this  eminent  person  is 
presented  to  our  observation  clothed  in  attributes  as  modest,  as 
unpretending,  as  little  calculated  to  strike  or  astonish,  as  if 
he  had  passed  unknown  through  some  secluded  region  of  pri 
vate  life.  But  he  had  a  judgment  sure  and  sound  ;  a  steadi 
ness  of  mind  which  never  suffered  any  passion,  or  even  any 
feeling,  to  ruffle  its  calm  ;  a  strength  of  understanding, 
which  worked  rather  than  forced  its  way  through  all  obsta 
cles, — removing  or  avoiding  rather  than  overleaping  them. 
His  courage,  whether  in  battle  or  in  council,  was  as  perfect 
as  might  be  expected  from  this  pure  and  steady  temper  of  soul. 
A  perfectly  just  man,  with  a  thoroughly  firm  resolution  never 
to  be  misled  by  others,  any  more  than  by  others  overawed  ; 
never  to  be  seduced  or  betrayed,  or  hurried  away  by  his  own 
weakness  or  self-delusions,  any  more  than  by  other  men's 
arts  ;  nor  ever  to  be  disheartened  by  the  most  complicated  dif- 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  388 


WASHINGTON. 


ficulties,  any  more  than  to  be  spoiled  on  the  giddy  heights  of 
fortune — such  was  this  great  man — whether  we  regard  him 
as  sustaining  alone  the  whole  weight  of  campaigns,  all  but 
desperate,  or  gloriously  terminating  a  just  warfare  by  his  re 
sources  arid  his  courage — presiding  over  the  jarring  ele 
ments  of  political  councils,  alike  deaf  to  the  storms  of  all 
extremes — or  directing  the  formation  of  a  new  government 
for  a  great  people,  the  first  time  that  so  vast  an  experiment 
had  ever  been  tried  by  man — or  finally  retiring  from  the  su 
preme  power  to  which  his  virtue  had  raised  him  over  the 
nation  he  had  created,  and  whose  destinies  he  had  guided  as 
long  as  his  aid  was  required — retiring  from  the  veneration 
of  all  parties,  of  all  nations,  of  all  mankind,  in  order  that 
the  rights  of  men  might  be  conserved,  and  that  his  example 
might  never  be  appealed  to  by  vulgar  tyrants.  This  is  the 
consummate  glory  of  the  great  American  ;  a  triumphant 
warrior  where  the  most  sanguine  had  a  right  to  despair  ;  a 
successful  ruler  in  all  the  difficulties  of  a  course  wholly  un 
tried  ;  but  a  warrior,  whose  sword  only  left  its  sheath  when 
the  first  law  of  our  nature  commanded  it  to  be  drawn  ;  and 
a  ruler  who,  having  tasted  of  supreme  power,  gently  and  un 
ostentatiously  desired  that  the  cup  might  pass  from  him,  nor 
would  suffer  more  to  wet  his  lips  than  the  most  solemn  and 
sacred  duty  to  his  country  and  his  God  required  ! 

"  To  his  latest  breath  did  this  great  patriot  maintain  the 
noble  character  of  a  captain,  the  patron  of  peace;  and  a 
statesman,  the  friend  of  justice.  Dying,  he  bequeathed  to 
his  heirs  the  sword,  which  he  had  worn  in  the  war  of  lib 
erty,  charging  them  '  never  to  take  it  from  the  scabbard 
but  in  self-defence,  or  in  defence  of  their  country  and  her 
freedom  ;  and  commanding  them,  that  when  it  should  thus 
be  drawn,  they  should  never  sheathe  it,  never  give  it  up,  but 
prefer  falling  with  it  in  their  hands  to  the  relinquishment 
thereof,' — words,  the  majesty  and  simple  eloquence  of 
which  are  not  surpassed  in  the  oratory  of  Athens  and  Rome. 
It  will  be  the  duty  of  the  historian  and  the  sage  in  all  ages, 
to  omit  no  occasion  of  commemorating  this  illustrious  man  ; 
and  until  time  shall  be  no  more,  will  a  test  of  the  progress 
which  our  race  has  made  in  wisdom  and  in  virtue  be  derived 
from  the  veneration  paid  to  the  immortal  name  of  WASH 
INGTON."* 

*  Edinburgh  Review,  Oct.,  1838. 


384  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


GEORGETOWN. 


GEORGETOWN. 

Georgetown  may  be  considered  as  a  suburb,  or  part  of  the 
metropolis,  being  separated  from  it  by  a  narrow  stream 
called  Rock  creek.  It  is  about  three  miles  west  of  the 
Capitol.  The  position  of  the  town  is  remarkably  salubrious, 
and  it  has  at  all  times  escaped  those  summer  epidemics 
that  have  prevailed  some  years  in  the  adjacent  country. 
It  is  handsomely  situated  on  a  succession  of  hills,  rising 
gradually  from  the  river  and  creek,  to  which  all  its  streets 
incline,  so  that  every  considerable  rain  thoroughly  cleanses 
them  of  all  impurity.  The  houses  are  chiefly  of  brick,  and 
there  are  many  elegant  villas  in  different  parts.  The  popu 
lation  is  8j36(5.  It  is  a  thriving  place,  and  has  considerable 
commerce.  Tobacco  and  flour  are  its  chief  articles  of  exporta 
tion.  During  the  session  of  Congress,  it  is  the  residence  of  a 
considerable  number  of  that  body.  The  society  is  represented 
as  enlightened  and  agreeable.  The  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal 
leaves  the  Potomac  at  this  place,  and  a  bridge  crosses  the 
road. 

In  respect  to  public  institutions,  the  two  which  attract 
most  attention,  are  the  College,  and  the  Convent  of  Visita 
tion.  The  former  was  established  50  years  since.  In  1815, 
it  was  made  a  University  by  Congress.  It  is  under  the  di 
rection  of  the  Roman  Catholics.  The  College  buildings 
are  delightfully  situated  on  an  eminence  that  commands  a 
fair  prospect  all  around.  It  has  a  respectable  library,  and 
the  system  of  education  is  said  to  be  enlightened  and  liberal. 

The  Convent  of  Visitation  is  under  the  direction  of  about 
60  nuns,  who  devote  themselves  to  religious  duties  and  the 
education  of  females.  A  large  number  of  children  are 
taught  gratuitously  ;  but  the  most  valuable  part  of  the  estab 
lishment  is  the  boarding-school  for  young  ladies.  A  writer 
whom  we  have  before  quoted,  has  the  following  language 
respecting  the  instructors  in  this  institution,  and  the  system 
of  education  pursued.  "  The  sisters  themselves  are  highly 
educated,  in  every  branch  of  science,  and  in  all  the  current 
and  fashionable  literature  of  the  age,  as  well  as  in  the  pro 
found  ethics,  and  the  sublime  doctrines  of  the  Christian 
religion.  In  this  institution  the  great  evil  of  most  schools  is 
avoided ;  this  evil  is,  to  make  one  person  teach  many 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  385 


ALEXANDRIA. 


branches,  and  of  course  no  one  can  be  profound  in  all. 
Here,  each  sister  selects  her  department,  and  never  walks 
out.  of  it;  six  or  seven,  therefore,  are  united  as  instructors 
in  the  same  branch,  and  the  indisposition  of  one  or  two 
does  not  interfere  with  the  course  of  instruction  in  any 
branch. 

"  The  languages  are  here  taught  with  great  accuracy,  and 
with  a  pure,  lady-like,  and  natural  accent,  the  charm  of 
polished  society.  The  system  of  education  extends  to  the 
minute  duties  of  housewifery,  and  the  pupils  graduate  with 
a  thorough  acquaintance  with  the  science  of  the  kitchen  and 
mysteries  of  the  culinary  art,  without  which  no  woman  can 
be  said  to  be  accomplished." 


ALEXANDRIA. 

Alexandria,  formerly  called  Kelhavcn,  is  a  commercial 
town  of  considerable  activity,  seven  miles  south  of  Wash 
ington,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Potomac.  The  river  is 
here  a  mile  wide,  and  30  feet  deep.  The  harbor  is  capacious, 
and  vessels  of  the  largest  size  can  float  alongside  the  wharfs, 
a  row  of  which  extends  along  the  river  the  whole  length  of 
the  city.  The  town  is  compactly  built  on  the  plan  of  Phil 
adelphia  ;  the  streets  are  wide,  deeply  paved,  kept  clean,  and 
are  better  lighted  at  night  than  most  American  towns.  Ar 
ticles  of  export  are  flour,  biscuits,  and  tobacco;  fish  and 
lumber  are,  however,  shipped  in  considerable  quantities.  It 
is  said  that  200,000  barrels  of  flour  have  been  inspected 
here  in  the  course  of  a  single  year.  The  biscuits  or  crack 
ers  are  quite  celebrated,  and  are  shipped  in  large  quantities 
to  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  and  even  to  the  West  India 
Islands.  Baltimore  has  had  the  same  withering  effect  on  the 
commerce  of  Alexandria,  that  New  York  has  exercised  on 
its  seaport  vicinity.  The  population  is  8,751. 

Alexandria,  at  the  request  of  its  citizens,  has  recently  been 
restored  to  the  jurisdiction  of  Virginia,  which  in  1790  ceded 
it  to  the  United  States,  as  a  part  of  the  seat  of  the  Federal 
government. 

25 


VIRGINIA. 


RICHMOND. 

RICHMOND,  the  political  metropolis  of  Virginia,  is  situated 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  James  river,  between  fifty  and  six 
ty  miles  above  City  point  ;  150  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  and  123  south-west  from  Washington.  It  is  at  the  head 
of  tide  water  ;  though  the  river  has  been  rendered  boatable 
220  miles  above  the  city.  It  is  just  below  the  falls,  and  op 
posite  to  Manchester,  with  which  it  is  connected  by  bridges. 
The  population,  in  1850  was  27,432. 

The  situation  of  Richmond  is  highly  picturesque  and 
healthful,  and  it  is  a  flourishing  commercial  city.  Most  of 
the  houses  are  of  brick,  and  many  of  them  are  elegant. 
Its  public  buildings  are  very  commodious,  and  in  good 
style,  and  it  has  considerable  manufactures.  The  falls  ex 
tend  nearly  six  miles,  in  which  the  river  descends  "eighty 
feet.  A  canal  passes  round  these  falls,  and  the  river  is 
navigable  for  batteaux  220  miles  above  them.  The  city  is 
thus  connected  with  a  very  extensive  back  country,  that  is 
highly  productive  of  wheat,  corn,  hemp,  tobacco,  and  coal. 
Vessels  drawing  ten  feet  of  water  come  to  Rockets,  just 
below  the  city,  and  those  drawing  fifteen  feet  ascend  to 
Warwick,  five  miles  below  Richmond.  The  inland,  coast 
ing,  and  foreign  trade  of  Richmond,  are  extensive  and  in 
creasing,  and  the  city  possesses  great  advantages  as  a 
healthy  and  pleasant  place  of  residence.  It  has  good 
schools,  and  convenient  houses  of  worship  for  many  re 
ligious  denominations.  The  Virginia  armory  is  an  exten 
sive  establishment,  and  capable  of  supplying  the  State  with 


TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


RICHMOND. 


arms.  The  new  court  house  is  a  very  spacious  and  elegant 
building.  The  capitol  has  a  very  commanding  situation  on 
Shockoe  hill.* 

In  1811,  December  26,  a  most  awful  catastrophe  befel  a 
portion  of  the  citizens  of  Richmond  during  the  sudden  con 
flagration  of  the  theatre.  The  house  was  uncommonly  full 
at  the  time  ;  not  less  than  GOO  persons  were  present.  The  cur 
tain  rose  on  the  second  act  of  a  pantomime  ;  the  orchestra 
was  in  full  chorus  ;  a  performer  came  on  to  open  the  scene  ; 
when  sparks  of  fire  began  to  fall  on  the  back  part  of  the  stage, 
and  Mr.  Robertson  came,  waving  his  hand  first  to  the  ceiling, 
then  exclaiming,  "  the  house  is  on  fire  !  "  The  cry  of  fire  ! 
Jire!  passed  rapidly  through  the  house;  and  the  scene  of 
horror  and  distress  that  followed,  baffles  all  description.  All 
flew  from  their  seats.  Cries  and  shrieks  filled  the  house. 
Many  persons  were  trodden  under  foot ;  several  were  thrown 
back  from  the  windows,  from  which  they  were  endeavouring 
to  leap.  The  stairways  were  blocked  up,  and  the  smoke 
threatened  instant  suffocation.  Many  leaped  from  the  win 
dows  of  the  first  story,  and  were  saved  ;  some  from  the  second 
windows;  others  were  shockingly  burnt.  The  fire  flew 
with  amazing  rapidity  ;  and  within  ten  minutes  after  it  caught 
the  whole  house  was  wrapped  in  flames.  Nearly  70  persons 
perished  in  the  conflagration  ;  and  a  considerable  number  af 
terwards  expired,  in  consequence  of  the  injuries  they  re 
ceived.  Among  those  who  perished  in  the  flames  was  George 
W.  Smith,  governor  of  Virginia,  and  Abraham  B.  Venable, 
president  of  the  Bank  of  Virginia.  The  first  had,  but  a 
few  days  before,  been  placed  in  the  chair  of  government  ; 
the  last  had  very  honorably  filled  several  high  stations,  and 
had  been  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  in  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States,  during  the  most  interesting 
periods. 

Pursuant  to  an  ordinance  of  the  common  council  of  the 
city  of  Richmond,  the  remains  of  those  who  perished  in 
the  fire  were  deposited  in  the  area,  which  had  been  inclosed 
within  the  walls  of  the  theatre  ;  an  area  which  was  to  be 
encompassed  by  a  wall  five  feet  high.  The  interment  was 
made  on  Sunday,  the  30th,  when  a  mournful  procession 

'Encyclopaedia  Americana. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  389 


RICHMOND. 


moved  to  the  sepulchral  spot.  The  remains  were  chiefly  in 
closed  in  two  large  mahogany  boxes,  and  were  deposited  in 
the  centre  of  the  place  where  the  pit  stood.  The  city  was 
bathed  in  tears.  On  this  spot  of  agony  and  desolation,  the 
citizens  have,  with  great  propriety,  erected  a  church,  called 
the  Monumental  Church,  with  a  monument  in  front,  com 
memorative  of  the  melancholy  event.* 

Since  the  foregoing  catastrophe,  another  theatre  has  been 
erected,  but  it  is  not  extensively  patronized.  The  city  water 
works  are  among  the  most  splendid  and  useful  establishments 
of  the  city:  they  were  commenced  in  1830,  and  cost  about 
8120,000.  Richmond  contains  16  churches,  some  of  which 
are  large  and  elegant  structures.  There  are  three  banks, 
two  of  which  occupy  different  rooms  in  the  same  fine  build 
ing.  Richmond  has  considerable  commerce,  and  its  manu 
factures  are  varied  and  extensive.  Its  exports  principally 
consist  of  flour,  tobacco,  and  coal ;  the  total  of  which  amount 
annually  to  about  $6,000,000.  The  capital  employed  in 
manufactures  is  nearly  81,400,000. 

*  Holmes's  Annals. 


NORTH    CAROLINA 


RALEIGH. 

RALEIGH,  the  political  metropolis  of  North  Carolina,  de 
rives  its  name  from  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  a  distinguished  war 
rior,  statesman,  and  writer,  who  flourished  in  the  reigns  of 
Elizabeth  and  James  I.,  and  who,  in  1584,  projected  a  plan 
for  the  discovery  and  settlement  of  the  territory  north  of  the 
gulf  of  Mexico.  The  discoveries  made  under  his  auspices 
terminated,  in  after  years,  in  the  settlement  of  Virginia,  and 
the  neighboring  States.  With  great  propriety  does  the  South 
contain  a  city  bearing  his  name.  He  was  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  men  of  his  age.  A  well-known  act  of  gal 
lantry  increased  his  favor  at  court.  Elizabeth  the  quean,  in 
a  walk  among  a  crowd  of  courtiers,  having  come  to  a  spot 
where  the  path  was  obstructed  by  mire,  Raleigh  immediately 
took  off  his  rich  plush  cloak  and  spread  it  on  the  ground  for 
a  footcloth. 

The  city  thus  called  after  this  gallant  knight,  is  a  hand 
some  interior  town,  near  the  centre  of  North  Carolina,  six 
miles  west  of  the  Neuse,  164  miles  south-west  of  Rich 
mond,  and  288  from  Washington.  It  contains  thirteen  pub 
lic  buildings,  five  houses  of  public  worship,  and  about  4,518 
inhabitants,  of  whom  half  are  slaves.  Union  square,  in  the 
centre  of  the  town,  containing  ten  acres,  is  a  public  ground, 
highly  ornamental  to  the  city.  Four  streets  extend  from  it, 
dividing  the  town  into  four  parts.  In  1831,  the  splendid 
State  House  in  this  town  was  destroyed  by  fire.  The  beauti 
ful  marble  statue  of  Washington,  by  Canova,  the  great  Ital 
ian  artist,  which  cost  the  State  25,000  dollars,  was  placed  in 
the  State  House,  and  was  supposed  at  first  irreparably  des 
troyed.  It  has  since  been  discovered  to  be  less  injured  than 
300 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  391 


was  imagined.  The  artist  is  dead,  and  it  is  a  source  of  mel 
ancholy  regret,  that  this  chef  douvre  can  never  be  restored 
to  its  pristine  beauty.  There  are  two  flourishing  academies 
in  this  town.  The  most  beautiful  materials  for  building 
abound  in  its  vicinity.* 


*  Flint's  Geography  of  Mississippi  Valley. 


SOUTH    CAROLINA. 


CHARLESTON. 

CHARLESTON,  the  commercial  metropolis  of  South  Caro 
lina,  and  formerly  the  seat  of  government,  is  a  fine  looking 
city,  standing  on  a  dead  level  with  the  sea  in  front,  at  the 
distance  of  seven  miles ;  and  two  noble  rivers,  the  Ashley 
and  the  Cooper,  inclosing  it  on  a  wide  peninsula,  called  the 
neck.  The  present  city  was  founded  in  1680,  old  Charles 
ton  being  at  this  time  abandoned,  on  account  of  the  un- 
healthiness  of  its  situation.  The  old  town  lay  upon  the 
banks  of  the  Ashley  river,  and  was  founded  in  1070  by  Gov 
ernor  William  Sayle.  It  has  a  neat  and  safe  harbor,  but  its 
entrance  is  somewhat  obstructed  by  a  bar. 

The  city  is  regularly  built,  and  the  streets  cross  each  other 
at  right  angles.  The  smallest  streets  are  paved.  All  have 
brick  sidewalks.  The  paving  stone  is  imported  from  the 
northern  States,  on  which  account  it  is  an  expensive  article, 
and  the  paving  of  the  streets  can  only  be  gradually  effected. 
In  the  streets  are  a  row  of  trees,  consisting  principally  of 
the  Pride  of  India,  planted  on  each  side  along  the  outer  edge 
of  the  foot  pavement;  a  fashion  common  to  most  of  the 
southern  towns  of  America.  "  What  gives  Charleston, 
however,  its  peculiar  character,"  Captain  B.  Hall  adds,  "  is 
the  veranda,  or  piazza,  which  embraces  most  of  the  houses 
on  their  southern  side,  and  frequently,  also,  on  those  which 
face  the  east  and  west.  These  are  not  clumsily  put  on,  but 
constructed  in  a  light  oriental  style,  extending  from  the 
ground  to  the  very  top,  so  that  the  rooms  on  each  story  en 
joy  the  advantage  of  a  shady  open  walk.  Except  in  the 
busy,  commercial  parts  of  the  town,  where  building  ground 
is  too  precious  to  be  so  employed,  the  houses  are  surround 
ed  with  a  garden  crowded  with  shrubs  and  flowers  of  all 
kinds,  shaded  by  double  and  treble  rows  of  orange  trees ; 
each  establishment  being  generally  encircled  with  hedges, 
of  a  deep  green,  covered  over  with  the  most  brilliant  show 
392 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  393 


CHARLESTON. 


imaginable,  of  large  white  roses,  fully  as  broad  as  my  hand. 
The  houses,  which  stand  in  the  midst  of  these  luxurious 
pleasure  grounds,  are  built  of  every  form  and  size,  generally 
painted  white,  with  railed  terraces  on  the  tops ;  and  every 
house,  or  very  nearly  every  one,  and  certainly  every  church 
spire,  of  which  there  are  a  great  number,  has  a  lightning 
rod."* 

Another  writer,  F.  Hall,  remarks,  that  "  Streets  unpaved 
and  narrow,  small  wooden  houses,  from  among  which  rise, 
in  every  quarter  of  the  town,  stately  mansions,  surrounded, 
from  top  to  bottom,  with  broad  verandas,  and  standing  within 
little  gardens  full  of  orange-trees,  palm-trees,  and  magnolias, 
are  features  which  give  Charleston  an  expression  belonging 
to  the  South  of  Europe,  rather  than  to  the  Teutonic  cities  of 
the  North.  Perhaps,  taking  into  view  its  large  black  popu 
lation,  and  glowing  temperature  in  January,  it  is  not  very 
unlike  some  of  the  cities  on  the  Mediterranean  coast  of  Af 
rica.  In  other  respects  it  is  a  noble  monument  of  what 
human  effort  can  effect.  Its  soil  is  a  barren,  burning  sand, 
with  a  river  on  each  side,  overflowing  into  pestilential  marsh 
es,  which  exhale  a  contagion  so  pernicious  as  to  render  sleep 
ing  a  single  night  within  its  influence,  during  the  summer 
months,  an  experiment  of  the  greatest  hazard. 

"  Yet  Charleston  is  deemed  more  salubrious  than  any 
other  part  of  the  low  country  of  the  United  States  ;  and 
during  the  sickly  season,  it  is  the  resort  even  of  rich  planters 
from  the  West  Indies.  But  Charleston  itself  is  no  place  of 
refuge  during  the  hottest  part  of  the  season.  All  the  inhab 
itants,  who  can  afford  it,  then  flee  to  a  barren  sand-bank  in 
the  harbor,  called  Sullivan's  Island,  containing  one  well  and 
a  few  palmettoes ;  where  they  dwell  in  miserable  wooden 
tenements,  trembling  in  every  storm,  lest  their  hiding  places 
should  be  blown  from  over  their  heads,  or  deluged  by  an  in 
undation  from  the  sea.  Many  migrate  to  the  mountains,  to 
Ballston  or  Saratoga,  or  to  other  parts  of  the  Northern 
States."t 

When  those  who  decide  on  spending  the  summer  in  the 
city,  are  once  settled  there,  it  is  deemed  in  the  highest  de 
gree  hazardous  to  sleep  a  single  night  in  the  country.  "  The 
experiment,"  says  Mr.  Hodgson,  "  is  sometimes  made,  and 

*  B.  Hall's  Travels.  t  F.  Hall's  Travels. 


394  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


CHARLESTON. 


occasionally  with  impunity  ;  but  all  my  informants  concurred 
in  assuring  me,  that  fatal  consequences  might  generally  be 
expected.  The  natives,  however,  may  pass  to  and  fro  between 
the  city  and  Sullivan's  Island,  (seven  miles  distant,)  without 
risk.  Of  late  years,  it  has  been  discovered,  that  there  are 
certain  healthy  spots,  even  in  the  country,  during  the  most 
sickly  months.  These  are  in  the  pine  barrens,  at  a  distance 
from  the  swamps.  To  be  safe  in  them,  it  is  necessary  that 
the  land  be  as  barren  as  possible,  and  that  not  a  tree  be  cut 
down,  except  to  leave  room  for  the  house.  Even  a  little 
garden,  it  is  considered,  would  entail  some  risk.  I  saw 
several  of  these  retreats,  which  are  occupied  by  the  over 
seers  of  plantations."*  These  remarks  apply-to  the  natives 
whose  apprehensions  are  confined  to  "  the  country  fever,"  a 
species  of  ague.  After  the  age  of  ten  or  fifteen  years,  they 
are  generally  proof  against  the  yellow,  or  "  stranger's  fever." 
But  the  probability  would  be  greatly  against  a  stranger's  es 
caping  the  fatal  effects  of  the  latter,  who  should  remain  either 
in  Charleston  or  Savannah  during  the  sickly  season. 

It  is  only,  therefore,  during  a  few  months  in  the  year,  that 
Charleston  is  inhabited  by  the  better  class  of  its  citizens. 
The  races,  which  usually  take  place  in  February,  are  the 
signal  for  the  principal  families  to  visit  their  town  houses, 
for  three  or  four  weeks,  assembling  from  their  planta 
tions,  at  a  distance  of  from  30  to  150  miles.  During  this 
short  season  of  gayety,  there  is  a  perpetual  round  of  visits. 
Early  in  March,  they  return  to  the  retirement  of  their  planta 
tions,  often  accompanied  by  the  strangers  with  whom  they 
have  made  acquaintance.  They  remain  there  till  about  the 
beginning  of  June,  when  they  return  to  the  city,  or  start  on 
their  summer  excursion.  By  those  who  remain  prisoners  in 
Charleston,  the  first  black  frost  is  looked  for  with  great  anx 
iety  towards  October  ;  after  which,  they  may,  with  safety, 
return  to  their  plantations,  where  they  remain  till  the  re 
turn  of  February.  "  In  passing  through  the  city  at  that 
season,  when  all  is  ornamented  and  gay,  and  the  climate  pure 
and  delicious,  it  is  melancholy,"  remarks  Mr.  Hodgson,  "  to 
think  of  the  stillness  which  will  soon  pervade  its  streets,  when 
the  heats  will  .almost  suspend  all  intercourse  among  the  na 
tives,  and  when  the  stranger  who  has  been  so  rash  as  to  re 
main  in  this  infected  region,  will  move  with  fearful  and 

•  Hodgson'i  Travels. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  395 


CHARLESTON. 


trembling  steps,  his  imagination  filled  with  apparitions  of  the 
1  pestilence  that  walketh  in  darkness,'  and  his  heart  sicken 
ed  with  '  the  destruction  that  wasteth  at  noon  day.'  " 

"  Charleston  keeps  in  pay  a  company  of  police  soldiers, 
xvho  during  the  night  occupy  several  posts.  They  have  their 
guard-house  near  Jones's  hotel,  and  I  was  startled  to  hear 
the  retreat  and  reveille  beat  there.  This  corps  owes  it  sup 
port  to  the  fear  of  the  negroes.  At  nine  o'clock  in  the 
evening  a  bell  is  sounded  ;  and  after  this  no  negro  can  ven 
ture  abroad  without  a  written  permission  from  his  master, 
or  he  will  immediately  be  thrown  into  prison,  nor  can  his 
owner  obtain  his  release  till  next  day,  and  then  only  by  the 
payment  of  a  fine.  Should  the  master  refuse  to  pay  this  fine, 
then  the  slave  receives  twenty-five  lashes,  arid  a  receipt,  with 
which  he  is  sent  back  to  his  master." 

The  Duke  of  Saxe  Weimar,  who  spent  some  time  in 
Charleston,  in  1825,  visiting  several  of  the  public  buildings 
and  institutions  of  the  city,  thus  describes  it :  "  The  market 
consists  of  five  houses,  in  a  long  street  ending  upon  the 
harbor,  and  resembles  somewhat  those  of  the  Philadelphia 
market.  The  quantity  of  the  most  beautiful  tropical  fruit 
therein  arranged,  oranges  from  Florida,  pistachios,  and  large 
excellent  pineapples  from  Cuba,  interested  me  much.  These 
large  and  delicious  fruit  cost  only  twelve  and  a  half  cents 
each,  of  course  a  dollar  for  eight.  There  were  nuts  of  vari 
ous  descriptions ;  many  sorts  of  potatoes,  cabbages,  and 
white  and  red  radishes.  Fish  were  not  presented  in  so  great 
a  variety  as  I  expected.  Of  shell  fish,  I  saw  oysters  only, 
which  are  roasted  in  the  shell  at  market,  and  consumed  by 
the  negroes  with  great  avidity.  Upon  the  roofs  of  the  market 
houses  sat  a  number  of  buzzards,  which  are  supported  by 
offals.  It  is  a  species  of  vulture,  black,  with  a  naked  head. 
Seen  from  a  distance,  they  resemble  turkeys,  for  which 
reason  they  are  denominated  turkey-buzzards.  They  are 
not  only  suffered  as  very  useful  animals,  but  there  is  a  fine  of 
five  dollars  for  the  killing  of  one  of  these  birds.  A  pair  of 
these  creatures  were  so  tame  that  they  crept  about  in  the 
meat  market  among  the  feet  of  the  buyers." 

"  The  Orphan  House,"  continues  the  same  writer,  "  is  a 
brick  building,  three  stories  high,  erected  by  voluntary  con 
tributions,  and  in  it,  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  children  of 


396  TRAVELS  AND  SKETCHES 


CHARLKSTON. 


both  sexes  are  supported.  I  was  surprised  at  the  exceeding 
cleanliness  pervading  the  whole  establishment.  The  chil 
dren  sleep  upon  the  floor,  and  the  girls  and  sick  only  are 
allowed  mattresses;  the  boys  have  a  woollen  coverlet,  in 
which  they  wrap  themselves.  I  was  informed  that  this  was 
done  for  fear  of  vermin.  A  very  nourishing  diet,  and  a  truly 
maternal  care,  preserve  the  children  healthy.  At  their 
twelfth  year,  they  are  provided  for  abroad,  to  enable  them  to 
enrn  their  own  subsistence.  Many  of  the  boys  enter  into 
the  United  States  Navy,  and  it  has  been  reported  to  me  that 
two  of  the  pupils  of  this  institution  have  attained  the  rank 
of  officers.  Behind  the  house  is  a  moderately  large  chapel, 
in  the  midst  of  the  garden.  The  clergy  of  all  Christian 
professions  can  hold  divine  service  here  every  Sunday  after 
noon  ;  in  the  mornings,  the  service  in  turn  is  taken  charge 
of  by  a  superintendent.  In  front  of  the  building  is  a  large 
open  square.  In  it  stands  an  ill-preserved  statue  of  Lord 
Chatham,  which  was  erected  by  the  then  colony  of  South 
Carolina,  before  the  breaking  out  of  the  American  Revolu 
tion,  in  memory  of  that  great  man,  in  gratitude  for  the  op 
position  he  maintained  against  colonial  taxation.  An  in 
scription  on  the  statue  mentions  this.  During  the  siege,  it 
stood  at  the  corner  of  the  street,  near  the  city  hall.  There 
it  lost  an  arm  by  one  of  the  first  English  balls  that  struck 
the  city." 

The  Duke  had  the  opportunity  of  inspecting  a  rice  mill 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  city.  He  thus  speaks  on  the  subject 
of  rice,  and  the  manner  of  cleaning  it.  "  Rice  is  known  as 
the  staple  article  of  produce  of  the  lowlands  in  South  Caro 
lina,  and  yet  there  was  no  mill  hitherto  to  free  the  rice  from 
its  husk,  and  to  prepare  it  for  use  or  export.  This  mill  is 
situated  near  the  river  Ashley.  The  schooner  that  conveys 
the  rice  from  the  plantation,  lies  directly  before  it,  a  cart  is 
taken  on  board  the  vessel,  filled  with  rice,  and  by  means  of 
an  inclined  plane,  drawn  into  the  mill,  where  it  is  deposited. 
Hence  the  rice  is  drawn  to  the  upper  story,  in  which  it  is 
cleared  of  dust  by  a  fan,  and  passed  between  two  large  mill 
stones,  which  frees  the  hull  from  the  grain.  It  is  then 
placed  in  a  cylinder  of  bolting  cloth.  By  this  it  is  further 
cleaned  from  all  hull.  Now  it  comes  into  the  trough,  where 
it  is  beaten  by  heavy  hammers  faced  with  tin,  and  by  that 
means  is  completely  cleaned.  It  is  once  more  conveyed  into 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  397 


CHARLESTON. 


a  bolting  cylinder,  where,  by  another  series  of  revolu 
tions,  it  is  freed  from  the  slightest  dust,  and  shook  through  a 
tube  into  the  tierces  placed  for  packing.  The  tierces  stand 
upon  a  trundle,  which  whirls  round,  while  a  hammer  con 
tinually  strikes  upon  it.  Each  tierce  in  this  way  receives 
six  hundred  pounds  of  rice.  The  machinery  is  to  be  set  in 
motion  in  future  by  a  steam  machine  of  twenty-four  horse 
power." 

In  1787,  Charleston  contained  1600  houses,  and  a  popula 
tion  of  15,000  souls,  viz  :  9,600  whites,  and,  5,400  negroes. 
The  public  buildings  at  that  time  consisted  of  the  State 
House,  the  Exchange,  the  Armory,  the  Poor  House,  two 
large  Churches  for  Episcopalians,  two  for  Congregationalists, 
one  for  Scotch  Presbyterians,  two  for  Baptists,  one  Metho 
dist,  one  German  Lutheran,  one  French  Protestant,  one 
Quakers'.  Meeting  House;  and  two  Synagogues,  one  for 
Portuguese,  the  other  for  German  Jews.  There  were  up 
wards  of  1000  Roman  Catholics  at  that  time  in  Charleston, 
but  they  had  no  building  for  worship.  In  1820,  the  popula 
tion  of  the  city  was  estimated  at  24,780  souls.  Twenty 
years  later,  1840,  the  numbe"  had  increased  to  only  about 
29,000.  In  1850  the  population  was  42,985,  including  slaves. 

"  Charleston,"  says  Mr.  Hodgson,  "  has  enjoyed  the  repu 
tation  of  containing  the  most  polished  circle  of  society  of 
any  city  in  the  United  States,  the  very  beau  monde  of  Amer 
ica  ;  and  not  wholly,  it  should  seem,  without  reason."  Mr. 
Hodgson  says  that  the  best  society  there,  though  not  very  ex 
tensive,  is  much  superior  to  any  that  he  had  previously  met 
with.  "  It  consists  of  a  few  patrician  families,  who  form  a 
select  circle,  into  which  the  novi  homines,  unless  distinguish 
ed  by  great  personal  merit,  find  it  extremely  difficult  to  gain 
admission.  Strangers  well  introduced,  and  of  personal 
respectability,  are  received  with  much  liberality  and  atten 
tion.  Many  of  the  old  gentlemen  were  educated  at  English 
colleges,  and  retain  something  of  their  original  attachment 
to  the  mother  country,  notwithstanding  their  sensibility  to 
recent  calumny  and  misrepresentation.  Their  manners  are 
extremely  agreeable,  resembling  the  more  polished  of  our 
country  gentlemen,  and  are  formed  on  the  model  of  what  in 
England  we  call  'the  old  school.'  They  are,  however,  the 
last  of  their  generation,  and  will  leave  a  blank  much  to  be 


398  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


CHAKJ.K9TON. 


deplored,  when  they  pass  away.  The  young  ladies  of  the 
patrician  families  are  delicate,  refined,  and  intelligent,  rather 
distant  and  reserved  to  strangers,  but  frank  and  affable  to 
those  who  are  familiarly  introduced  to  them  by  their  fathers 
and  brothers.  They  go  very  early  into  company,  are  fre 
quently  married  at  sixteen  or  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  gen 
erally  under  twenty,  and  have  retired  from  the  vortex  of  gay 
society  before  even  the  fashionable  part  of  my  fair  country 
women  would  formerly  have  entered  it.  They  often  lament 
that  the  high  standard  of  manners  to  which  they  have  been 
accustomed,  seems  doomed  to  perish  with  the  generations  of 
their  fathers.  The  fact  is,  that  the  absence  of  the  privileges 
of  primogeniture,  and  the  consequent  repeated  subdivisions 
of  property,  are  gradually  effecting  a  change  in  the  structure 
of  society  in  South  Carolina,  and  will  shortly  efface  its  most 
interesting  and  characteristic  features." 

The  military  events  connected  with  the  places  which  we 
describe,  form  an  interesting  portion  of  our  volume.  And 
among  the  most  exciting  scenes  of  the  Revolutionary  history 
of  our  country,  we  may  reckon  the  attack  on  Charleston 
during  the  campaign  of  1776. 

In  the  beginning  of  this  year,  a  fleet  under  Sir  Peter  Par 
ker,  and  two  thousand  five  hundred  troops  commanded  by 
Karl  Cornwallis,  were  despatched  upon  an  expedition  against 
the  Southern  Colonies.  About  the  beginning  of  May,  the 
first  fleet  arrived  oft'  Cape  Fear.  Here,  being  joined  by 
General  Clinton,  it  was  determined  to  attempt  the  reduction 
of  Charleston.  This  was  considered  no  difficult  operation  ; 
and  with  the  fall  of  this,  the  entire  province,  it  was  foreseen, 
would  fall  into  British  hands. 

The  plan  was  no  sooner  decided,  than  the  English  pre 
pared  to  put  it  in  execution.  But  the  Carolinians  had  neg 
lected  nothing  to  secure  themselves  the  means  of  defending 
their  province,  and  particularly  their  capital.  The  chiefs 
of  the  people  had  taken  particular  care  to  fortify  Sullivan's 
Island,  situated  on  the  part  of  the  sea,  at  the  distance  of  six 
miles  from  the  point  of  land  formed  by  the  confluence  of 
the  two  rivers,  Ashley  and  Cooper,  and  upon  which  the  city 
of  Charleston  is  built.  This  island  so  commands  the  chan 
nel,  which  leads  to  the  port,  that  the  vessels  which  would 
enter  it,  must  pass  tinder  the  cannon  of  Fort  Moultrie.  It 
had  recently  been  armed  with  thirty-six  pieces  of  heavy 


26 


ADMIRAL  PARKER. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  403 


CHARLESTON. 


the  Syren,  went  to  take  their  stations  to  the  west,  between 
the  point  of  Sullivan's  Island  and  the  city,  partly  to  be  able 
to  sweep  the  interior  of  the  works,  and  partly  to  interrupt  all 
communication  between  the  island  and  the  main  land,  which 
would  deprive  the  garrison  of  the  means  of  retreat,  prevent 
them  from  receiving  succors  of  men  and  of  munitions,  and 
prohibit  the  Carolinians  from  annoying  the  besiegers  by  fire- 
ships  or  other  engines  of  war.  The  unskilfulness  of  the  pilots 
caused  the  miscarriage  of  these  dispositions  ;  the  three  ves 
sels  struck  upon  a  bank  named  the  middle  grounds  ;  two  of 
them,  by  the  exertions  of  the  mariners,  were  again  set  afloat, 
but  not  without  having  received  considerable  damage. 
Whether  on  account  of  the  hour,  already  become  late,  or  in 
consequence  of  this  damage,  they  were  no  longer  in  a  situa 
tion  to  execute  the  orders  of  the  captains.  As  to  the  Acteon, 
she  was  totally  stranded,  and  the  next  morning  burned. 
During  this  time,  the  first  four  vessels  had  kept  up  a  furious 
cannonade  against  the  fort,  which  was  returned  with  equal 
vivacity.  The  Thunder,  after  having  discharged  upwards  of 
sixty  bombs,  found  herself  so  disabled  that  she  discontinued 
her  fire  ;  but  the  others  maintained  it ;  and  if  the  attack  was 
vigorous,  the  defence  was  not  feeble.  The  English  them 
selves  were  constrained  to  admire  the  intrepidity  of  the 
Americans,  in  so  hot  an  action. 

The  garrison  of  the  fort,  which  consisted  only  in  militia, 
and  a  few  soldiers  of  the  line,  displayed  an  incredible  cool 
ness  and  gallantry,  in  the  service  of  their  artillery,  in  the 
midst  of  the  tempest  of  balls  which  was  hailed  upon  them  by 
the  enemy's  squadron.  The  Americans  aimed  with  an  ex 
treme  precision.  The  English  ships  suffered  excessively, 
and  their  loss  in  men  was  not  inconsiderable.  The  Bristol, 
especially  being  damaged  in  all  her  rigging,  was  for  some 
time  so  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  batteries,  that  she  nar 
rowly  escaped  being  sunk.  Captain  Morris,  who  command 
ed  the  Acteon,  had  already  received  several  wounds,  and  the 
greater  part  of  his  men  were  killed  ;  left  almost  alone  upon 
the  deck,  he  refused  to  be  carried  below,  until  a  ball  took 
off  one  of  his  legs,  and  then  was  removed  without  hope  of 
life.  The  admiral  himself,  Peter  Parker,  received  a  severe 
contusion. 

Lord  Campbell,  who  a  little  before  was  governor  of  the 
province,  was  mortally  wounded. 

The  loss  of  the  garrison  was  very  inconsiderable  ;  never- 


404  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


CHARLESTON. 


theless  their  fire  slackened,  and  at  length  ceased  altogether. 
Their  ammunition  was  exhausted,  and  the  English  considered 
their  victory  as  already  secure.  But  the  Americans  soon 
succored  the  fort,  and  the  cannonade  was  renewed  with  the 
same  fury  as  at  first.  It  continued  till  seven  o'clock  in  the 
evening. 

The  English  then  perceiving  the  inutility  of  their  attack, 
and  the  deplorable  state  of  their  vessels,  and  not  seeing  the 
corps  make  its  appearance,  which  was  to  have  come  upon 
that  part  of  Long  Island,  determined  to  abandon  the  enter 
prise. 

Generals  Clinton  and  Cornwallis  would  have  crossed  the 
arm  of  the  sea,  which  separates  the  two  neighboring  islands, 
in  order  to  attack  Fort  Moultrie  on  the  land  side,  as  it  had 
been  concerted,  but  the  water  was  found  too  deep,  and  the 
ford  impracticable  ;  this,  at  least,  they  alleged.  On  the 
other  hand,  even  though  they  should  have  succeeded  in  sur 
mounting  these  obstacles,  it  is  probable  they  would  have 
found  others  more  formidable  still  upon  the  shores  of  Sulli 
van's  Island.  Colonel  Thompson,  at  the  head  of  three  hun 
dred  grenadiers  of  his  regiment  ;  Colonel  CJark,  with  two 
hundred  soldiers  of  North  Carolina;  Colonel  Horry,  follow 
ed  by  two  hundred  militia  of  South  Carolina,  and  Racoon's 
company  of  riflemen,  with  some  pieces  of  artillery,  had  oc 
cupied  the  posts  situated  at  the  eastern  extremity  of  the 
island.  It  is  therefore  credible,  that  it  was  more  the  prepar 
ations  of  defence  made  by  the  Americans,  than  the  diffi 
culty  of  the  ford,  which  prevented  the  English  generals 
from  attempting  the  passage.  Can  it  be  supposed  that  offi 
cers  so  experienced,  should  have  continued  nine  whole  days 
in  Long  Island,  without  having  caused  the  depths  of  the 
waters  to  be  sounded,  and  ascertaining,  long  before  the  time 
of  the  action,  whether  they  were  fordable  or  not? 

It  appears  equally  difficult  to  comprehend  how,  after 
having  discovered  either  that  the  ford  was  impracticable,  or 
the  position  of  the  Americans  impregnable,  the  English 
should  have  remained  inactive  in  Long  Island,  instead  of 
endeavoring  to  land  upon  some  other  parts  of  Sullivan's 
Island,  by  means  of  the  boats  they  had  assembled.  This 
circumstance  presents  several  points  which  it  is  impossible 
to  explain.  However  it  may  be,  the  English  retired  during 
the  night,  and  the  following  morning  their  ships  were  already 
at  the  distance  of  two  miles  from  the  island.  A  few  days 


SIR   HENRY  CLINTON. 


LORD  CORXWALLIS. 


IN    NOftTII   AMERICA.  407 


CHARLESTON. 


after,  having  re-embarked  their  troops,  they  made  sail  for 
New  York,  where  the  army,  increased  by  all  the  re-inforce- 
inents  it  had  received  from  England,  expected  General 
Howe. 

Such  was  the  issue  of  the  attack  on  Fort  Moultrie  by  the 
English.  It  placed  the  affairs  of  South  Carolina,  for  the 
present,  in  a  state  of  security.  The  fort  itself  received 
little  injury,  either  because  the  balls  of  the  enemy  passed 
above  it,  or  because  the  spongy  wood,  of  which  it  was  con 
structed,  diminished  their  effect. 

This  battle  was  remarkable  on  the  side  of  the  Americans 
for  some  of  those  traits  of  obstinate  courage,  which  are  the 
usual  results  of  the  fermentation  of  minds  in  the  midst  of 
political  revolutions.  Among  others  it  is  recorded,  that  a 
sergeant  of  grenadiers,  named  Jasper,  on  seeing  the  staff 
of  the  American  standard  cut  by  a  ball,  sprung  after  it  to 
the  ground,  and  fastened  it  to  the  rammer  of  a  cannon  :  then 
mounting  upon  the  parapet,  hoisted  it  anew  amidst  the  most 
violent  fire  of  the  enemy.  President  Rutledge  presented 
him  with  a  sword,  complimenting  him  highly  and  publicly.* 

A  subsequent  incident  in  the  life  of  Sergeant  Jasper,  as  not 
only  illustrating  his  bravery,  but  also  the  tenderness  and  hu 
manity  of  his  heart,  may  properly  follow  the  record  of  the 
above  heroic  achievement.  Jasper  had  a  brother,  who  had 
joined  the  British,  and  who  held  a  similar  rank  in.  the  army. 
To  this  brother  he  was  warmly  attached,  and  actually  ven 
tured  into  the  British  garrison  at  Ebenezer  to  see  him. 
His  brother  was  exceedingly  alarmed,  lest  he  should  he 
seized  and  hung  as  an  American  spy ;  for  his  name  was  well 
known  to  many  of  the  British  officers.  "Do  not  trouble 
yourself,  said  Jasper  ;  "  I  am  no  longer  an  American  soJ- 
dier." 

"  Thank  God  for  that,  William,"  exclaimed  his  brother, 
heartily  shaking  him  by  the  hand ;  "  and  now  only  say  the 
word,  my  boy,  and  here  is  a  commission  for  you,  with  regi 
mentals  and  gold  to  boot,  to  fight  for  his  majesty,  king 
George." 

Jasper  shook  his  head,  and  observed,  that  though  there 
was  but  little  encouragement  to  fight  for  his  country,  he 
could  not  find  it  in  his  heart  to  fight  against  her.  And 
there  the  conversation  ended.  After  staying  two  or  three 

*  Botta 


408  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


CHARLESTON. 


days  with  his  brother,  inspecting  and  hearing  all  that  he 
could,  he  took  his  leave,  returned  to  the  American  camp,  by 
a  circuitous  route,  and  told  General  Lincoln  all  that  he  had 
seen. 

Soon  after  he  made  another  trip  to  the  English  garrison, 
taking  with  him  his  particular  friend,  Sergeant  Newton, 
who  was  a  young  man  of  great  strength  and  courage.  His 
brother  received  him  with  his  usual  cordiality  ;  and  he  and 
his  friend  spent  several  days  at  the  British  fort  without 
giving  the  least  alarm.  On  the  morning  of  the  third  day, 
his  brother  observed  that  he  had  bad  news  to  tell  him. 

"  Aye  !  what  is  it  ?  "  asked  William. 

"  Why,"  replied  his  brother,  "  here  are  ten  or  a  dozen 
American  prisoners,  brought  in  this  morning,  as  deserters 
from  Savannah,  whither  they  are  to  be  sent  immediately  ; 
and,  from  what  I  can  learn,  it  will  be  apt  to  go  hard  with 
them, — for  it  seems  they  have  all  taken  the  king's  bounty." 

"  Let  us  see  them,"  said  Jasper.  So  his  brother  took  him 
and  his  friend  Newton  to  see  them.  It  was  indeed  a  melan 
choly  sight,  to  see  the  poor  fellows  handcuffed  upon  the 
ground.  But  when  the  eye  rested  on  a  young  woman,  wife 
of  one  of  the  prisoners,  with  her  child,  a  sweet  little  boy  of 
five  years,  all  pity  for  the  male  prisoners  was  forgotten. — 
Her  humble  garb  showed  that  she  was  poor  ;  but  her  deep 
distress,  and  sympathy  with  her  unfortunate  husband,  proved 
that  she  was  rich  in  conjugal  love,  more  precious  than  all 
gold.  She  generally  sat  on  the  ground  opposite  to  her 
husband,  with  her  little  boy  leaning  on  her  lap,  and  her 
coal  black  hair  spreading  in  long,  neglected  tresses  on  her 
neck  and  bosom.  Sometimes  she  would  sit,  silent  as  a  statue 
of  grief,  her  eyes  fixed  upon  the  earth  :  then  she  would  start 
with  a  convulsive  throb,  and  gaze  on  her  husband's  face 
with  looks  as  piercing  sad,  as  if  she  already  saw  him  strug 
gling  in  the  halter,  herself  a  widow,  and  her  son  an  orphan. 
While  the  child,  distressed  by  his  mother's  anguish,  added 
to  the  pathos  of  the  scene,  by  the  artless  tears  of  childish 
suffering.  Though  Jasper  and  Newton  were  undaunted  in 
the  field  of  battle,  their  feelings  were  subdued  by  such  heart- 
stirring  misery.  As  they  walked  out  into  the  neighboring 
wood,  the  tears  stood  in  the  eyes  of  both.  Jasper  first 
broke  silence.  "  Newton,"  said  he,  "  my  days  have  been 
but  few  ;  but  I  believe  their  course  is  nearly  finished." 

"  Why  so,  Jasper  ?  " 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  409 


CHARLESTON. 


"  Why,  I  feel  that  I  must  rescue  those  poor  prisoners^  or 
die  with  them ,  otherwise  the  remembrance  of  that  poor 
woman  and  her  child  will  haunt  me  to  my  grave." 

"  That  is  exactly  what  I  feel  too,"  replied  Newton  ;  "  and 
here  is  my  hand  and  heart  to  stand  by  you,  my  brave  friend, 
to  the  last  drop.  Thank  God,  a  man  can  die  but  once  ;  arid 
why  should  we  fear  to  leave  this  life  in  the  way  of  our 
duty?" 

The  friends  embraced  each  other,  and  entered  into  the 
necessary  arrangements,  for  fulfilling  their  desperate  reso 
lution. 

Immediately  after  breakfast,  the  prisoners  were  sent  on 
their  way  to  Savannah,  under  the  guard  of  a  sergeant  and 
corporal,  with  eight  men.  They  had  riot  been  gone  long, 
before  Jasper,  accompanied  by  his  friend  Newton,  took 
leave  of  his  brother,  and  set  out  on  some  pretended  errand 
to  the  upper  country.  They  had  scarcely  got  out  of  sight 
of  Ebenezer,  before  they  struck  into  the  woods,  and  pushed 
hard  after  the  prisoners,  and  their  guard,  whom  they  closely 
dogged  for  several  miles,  anxiously  watching  an  opportunity 
to  make  a  blow.  The  hope,  indeed,  seemed  extravagant ; 
for  what  could  two  unarmed  men  do  against  ten,  equipped 
with  loaded  muskets  and  bayonets  ?  However,  unable  to 
give  up  their  countrymen,  our  heroes  still  travelled  on. 

About  two  miles  from  Savannah,  there  is  a  famous  spring 
generally  called  the  Spa,  well  known  to  travellers,  who 
often  stopped  there  to  quench  their  thirst.  "  Perhaps"  said 
Jasper,  "  the  guard  may  stop  there."  Hastening  on  through 
the  woods,  they  gained  the  Spa,  as  their  last  hope,  and  there 
concealed  themselves  among  the  thick  bushes  that  grew 
around  the  spring.  Presently,  the  mournful  procession  came 
in  sight  of  the  spring,  where  the  sergeant  ordered  a  halt. 
Hope  sprung  afresh  in  the  bosoms  of  our  heroes,  though  no 
doubt  mixed  with  great  alarms;  for  "  it  was  a  fearful  odds." 
The  corporal,  with  his  guard  of  four  men,  conducted  the 
prisoners  to  the  spring,  while  the  sergeant,  with  the  other 
four,  having  grounded  their  arms  near  the  road,  brought  up 
the  rear.  The  prisoners,  wearied  with  their  long  walk, 
were  permitted  to  rest  themselves  on  the  earth.  Poor  Mrs. 
Jones  as  usual  took  her  seat  opposite  to  her  husband,  and 
her  little  boy  overcome  with  fatigue  fell  asleep  in  her  lap. — 
Two  of  the  corporal's  men  were  ordered  to  keep  guard,  and 
the  other  two  to  give  the  prisoners  drink  out  of  their  can- 


410  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


CHARM:  sru.v. 


teens.  These  last  approached  the  spring,  where  our  heroes 
lay  concealed,  and,  resting  their  muskets  against  a  pine  tree, 
dipped  up  water.  Having  drank  themselves,  they  turned 
away  with  replenished  canteens,  to  give  to  the  prisoners 
also.  "  Now,  Newton,  is  our  time,"  said  Jasper.  Then 
bursting  like  lions  from  their  concealment,  they  snatched 
up  the  two  muskets  that  were  resting  against  the  pine,  and 
in  an  instant,  shot  down  the  two  soldiers  who  were  upon 
guard.  It  was  now  a  contest  who  should  get  the  loaded  mus 
kets  that  fell  from  the  hands  of  the  slain  ;  for  by  this  time  a 
couple  of  brave  Englishmen,  recovering  from  their  momenta 
ry  panic,  had  sprung  and  seized  upon  the  muskets;  but  before 
they  could  use  them,  the  swift-handed  Americans,  with  club 
bed  guns,  levelled  a  final  blow  at  the  heads  of  their  brave  an 
tagonists.  The  tender  bones  of  the  skull  gave  way,  and  down 
they  sunk,  pale  and  quivering,  without  a  groan.  Then  has 
tily  seizing  the  muskets,  which  had  thus  a  second  time 
fallen  from  the  hands  of  the  slain,  they  flew  between  their 
surviving  enemies  and  their  weapons,  grounded  near  the 
road,  and  ordered  them  to  surrender  ;  which  they  instantly 
did.  They  then  snapped  the  handcuffs  of  the  prisoners,  and 
armed  them  with  muskets. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  fight,  poor  Mrs.  Jones  had 
fallen  to  the  earth  in  a  swoon,  and  her  little  son  stood 
screaming  piteously  over  her.  But,  when  she  recovered, 
and  saw  her  husband  and  his  friends  freed  from  their  fetters, 
she  behaved  like  one  frantic  with  joy.  She  sprung  to  her 
husband's  bosom,  and  with  her  arms  round  his  neck,  sobbed 
out,  "  my  husband  is  safe, — bless  God,  my  husband  is  safe." 
Then,  snatching  up  her  child,  she  pressed  him  to  her  heart, 
as  she  exclaimed,  "thank  God  !  my  son  has  a  father  yet." 
Then  kneeling  at  the  feet  of  Jasper  and  Newton,  she  pressed 
their  hands  vehemently,  but  in  the  fulness  of  her  heart,  she 
could  only  say,  "  God  bless  you  !  God  Almighty  bless  you  !  " 

For  fear  of  being  re-taken  by  the  English,  our  heroes 
seized  the  arms  and  regimentals  of  the  dead,  and  with  their 
friends  and  captive  foes,  re-crossed  the  Savannah,  and  safely 
joined  the  American  army,  at  Parisburgh,  to  the  inexpressi 
ble  astonishment  and  joy  of  all.* 

*  American   Anecdotes. 


GEORGIA. 


SAVANNAH. 

THE  city  of  Savannah  is  situated  on  the  south  bank  of 
the  Savannah  river,  18  miles  above  its  mouth.  It  is  100 
miles  south-west  of  Charleston,  and  GG2  south-by-west  of 
Washington.  It  is  elevated  about  40  feet  above  the  river, 
a  sandy  bluff  rising  abruptly  about  that  distance  from  it. — 
The  site  of  the  city  is  nearly  level  ;  it  is  very  regularly 
laid  out,  the  streets  crossing  each  other  at  right  angles. — 
Many  of  these  are  wide,  and  with  public  squares,  10  in 
number,  are  planted  with  handsome  trees.  The  place  was 
formerly  very  unhealthy ;  of  late  years  this  has  much  im 
proved,  a  change  which  is  attributed  in  some  degree  to  a 
new  mode,  recently  adopted  in  the  cultivation  of  rice  in 
the  vicinity.  Since  the  great  conflagration  of  1820,  when 
a  large  portion  of  the  city  was  destroyed,  it  has  been  princi 
pally  rebuilt,  and  many  handsome,  and  some  elegant  build 
ings  have  been  erected.  Among  the  public  and  conspicu 
ous  buildings  of  the  city,  are  the  exchange  ;  two  banks ; 
13  churches,  one  of  which,  built  of  granite,  is  very  splen 
did  ;  a  court-house,  hospital,  jail,  poor-house,  theatre,  and 
an  academy.  Many  of  the  private  dwellings  are  very  ele 
gant.  There  are  several  benevolent  institutions  in  the  place. 
The  business  of  Savannah  is  very  considerable,  and  it  has 
some  commerce.  Vessels  of  14  feet  draught  come  to  the 
wharfs,  and  a  great  portion  of  the  imports  and  exports  of  the 
State  are  laden  and  unladen  here.  Cotton,  rice,  sugar,  and 
tobacco,  are  the  most  valuable  staples,  and  the  annual  amount 
exported,  particularly  of  the  two  former,  is  very  heavy. — 
The  export  of  cotton  in  1843  was  nearly  three  hundred  thou 
sand  bales.  The  population  in  1850  was  16,059. 

The  settlement  of  Savannah  and  of  Georgia  itself  was 
commenced  in  1733,  by  General  Oglethorpe,  an  active  and 
worthy  philanthropist,  who  led  a  colony  of  113  to  com 
mence  a  settlement  in  that  territory.  They  first  landed  in 

411 


412  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


SAVANNAH. 


Charleston,  by  whose  citizens  they  were  cordially  received, 
and  who  supplied  them  with  provisions  and  boats  to  convey 
them  to  their  place  of  destination.  Yamacrau  Bluff,  since 
called  Savannah,  from  the  Indian  name  of  the  river,  was  se 
lected  as  the  most  eligible  place  for  a  settlement,  and  a 
treaty  being  held  with  the  Creek  Indians,  a  large  tract  of 
land  was  obtained  by  cession.  The  next  year,  between  500 
and  600  emigrants  arrived,  to  each  of  whom  was  assigned  a 
portion  of  the  uncleared  territory.  But  it  was  soon  found 
that  these  people,  who  were  the  refuse  of  cities,  having 
been  rendered  poor  by  idleness,  or  irresolute  by  poverty, 
were  not  fitted  to  fell  the  mighty  groves  of  Georgia.  A 
race  more  hardy  and  enterprising  was  required  for  clearing 
the  wilderness.  The  Trustees  therefore  issued  fresh  propo 
sals,  inviting  settlers  who  had  not,  by  poverty  or  persecution, 
been  rendered  objects  of  compassion,  and  offering  to  all 
who  should  repair  to  the  colony,  50  acres  of  land.  In  con 
sequence  of  this  offer,  more  than  400  persons  from  Scot 
land,  Switzerland,  and  Germany,  arrived  in  1735. 

At  the  time  Oglethorpe  landed,  he  found  the  territory 
possessed  by  Indians.  The  tribe  at  Yamacrau  was  incon 
siderable,  but  the  interior  Indians  were  more  powerful. — 
Deeming  it  expedient  to  unite  all  the  Indians  he  was  able  in 
a  treaty,  he  employed  an  Indian,  or  rather  half-breed  woman 
by  the  name  of  Musgrovc,  and  who  could  speak  both  the 
English  and  Creek  languages  :  perceiving  that  she  had  some 
influence  amongst  the  Indians,  and  might  be  made  useful  as 
an  interpreter  in  forming  treaties  of  alliance  with  them,  he 
iirst  purchased  her  friendship  with  presents,  and  then  allow 
ed  her  a  salary  of  one  hundred  pounds  a  year,  as  a  reward 
for  her  services.  By  her  assistance,  he  summoned  a  pretty 
general  meeting  of  the  chiefs,  to  hold  a  Congress  with  him, 
at  Savannah,  in  order  to  procure  their  consent  to  the  peace 
able  settlements  of  his  colony.  At  this  Congress,  when  fifty 
chiefs  were  present,  Oglethorpe  represented  to  them  the 
great  power,  wisdom  and  wrealth  of  the  English  nation,  and 
the  many  advantages  that  would  accrue  to  the  Indians  in 
general,  from  a  connection  and  friendship  with  them ;  and 
as  they  had  plenty  of  lands,  he  hoped  they  would  freely 
resign  a  share  of  them  to  his  people,  who  had  come  to  settle 
amongst  them,  for  their  benefit  and  instruction.  After 
having  distributed  some  presents,  which  was  considered  as 
a  necessary  preliminary  to  a  treaty  of  peace  and  friendship, 


GENERAL  OGLETHORPE. 


414  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

SAVANNAH. 

an  agreement  was  entered  into,  and  Tomockichi,  in  the 
name  of  the  Creek  Nation,  addressed  him  with  the  follow 
ing  speech  : 

"  Here  is  a  little  present ;  I  give  you  a  Buffalo  Skin 
adorned  on  the  inside  with  the  head  and  feathers  of  an  eagle, 
which  I  desire  you  to  accept,  because  the  eagle  is  an 
emblem  of  speed,  and  the  buffalo  of  strength  :  the  English 
are  swift  as  the  bird,  and  strong  as  the  beast;  since  like  the 
former,  they  flew  over  vast  seas  to  the  uttermost  parts  of 
the  earth ;  and  like  the  latter,  they  are  so  strong  that 
nothing  can  withstand  them  :  the  feathers  of  the  eagle  are 
soft,  signifying  love  ;  the  buffalo's  skin  is  warm,  and  signi 
fies  protection  :  therefore,  I  hope  the  English  will  love  and 
protect  their  little  families." 

Oglethorpe  accepted  the  present,  a  treaty  was  concluded 
to  the  satisfaction  of  both  parties,  the  colonists  appeared 
satisfied  with  their  condition,  and  every  thing  appeared  to 
promise  prosperity  to  the  new  colony. 

Among  the  Georgia  settlers  was  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Thomas  Bosomwortk,  a  chaplain  in  the  regiment  of  Ogle 
thorpe.  It  appears  that  he  was  an  artful  and  avaricious 
man.  In  1747,  he  laid  a  plan,  either  to  destroy  the  colony, 
or  acquire  a  fortune.  Among  a  number  of  Indians  present 
at  Frederica,  a  small  English  settlement,  not  far  from  Sa 
vannah,  in  December,  was  an  Indian  king  by  the  name  of 
Malatchc.  Bosomworth  suggested  to  him  the  idea  of  being 
crowned  in  imperial  form,  by  those  of  his  tribe,  who  were 
with  him  :  accordingly  a  paper  was  drawn  up,  filled  with 
royal  ceremonies,  acknowledging  Malatchc  Opiya  Mcco  to 
be  the  rightful,  natural  prince  and  emperor  of  the  domin 
ions  of  the  Creek  Nation ;  vesting  him  with  powers  to 
make  laws,  frame  treaties,  declare  war,  convey  lands,  and 
transact  all  affairs  relating  to  the  nation  ;  binding  themselves 
on  the  part  of  their  several  towns,  to  abide  by  and  fulfil  all 
his  contracts  and  engagements.  This  paper  being  signed 
and  sealed  by  the  pretended  kings  and  chiefs,  and  witnessed 
in  du«  form,  Malatchc  requested  that  a  copy  of  it  might  be 
sent  over  to  the  king  of  England,  for  his  sanction,  and  to 
have  it  put  on  record  among  the  archives  of  his  great  ally. 

Bosomworth  had  thus  accomplished  an  important  object. 
He  had  some  time  before  married  Mary  Musgrove,  the  half- 
breed  Indian  already  mentioned.  He  now  drew  up  a  deed 
of  conveyance  in  the  common  form,  from  Malatche  Opiya 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  415 


SAVANNAH. 


Meco,  emperor  of  the  Upper  and  Lower  Creek  Nations,  to 
Thomas  and  Mary  Bosomworth,  of  the  colony  of  Georgia, 
"  for,  and  in  consideration  of  ten  pieces  of  stroud,  twelve 
pieces  of  duffles,  two  hundred  weight  of  powder,  two  hun 
dred  weight  of  lead,  twenty  guns,  twelve  pair  of  pistols,  and 
one  hundred  weight  of  vermilion  ,  warranting  and  defend 
ing  to  the  said  Thomas  and  Mary,  all  those  tracts  of  land, 
known  by  the  names  of  Hussoope,  or  Ossabaw,  Cowleygee, 
or  St.  Catherines,  and  Sapelo  islands,  with  their  appurte 
nances,  &/c.,  to  the  said  Thomas  and  Mary  his  wife,  their  heirs 
and  assigns,  as  long  as  the  sun  shall  shine,  or  the  waters 
run  in  the  rivers,  forever.  Signed  on  the  4th  day  of  the 
windy  moon,  corresponding  with  the  14th  of  December." 

His  next  object  was  to  induce  Mary  to  claim  to  be  the 
elder  sister  of  Malatche,  and  of  having  descended  in  a  ma 
ternal  line  from  an  Indian  king,  who  held  from  nature  the 
whole  territories  of  the  Creeks;  and  Bosomworth  now  per 
suaded  her  to  assert  her  right  to  them,  as  superior  not  only 
to  the  trustees,  but  also  to  that  of  the  king. 

Accordingly,  Mary  assumed  the  title  of  an  independent 
empress.  A  meeting  of  the  Creeks  was  summoned,  before 
which  she  set  forth  her  claims.  The  Indians  became  fired 
through  her  eloquence,  and  escorted  her  towards  Savannah 
to  prosecute  her  claim. 

A  messenger  was  despatched  to  notify  the  president  and 
council  of  the  royal  family's  approach.  On  receiving  this 
intelligence,  the  council  felt  embarrassed.  Mary  was  an 
artful  and  eloquent  woman  ;  the  English  were  few  in  number, 
and  small  their  means  of  defence.  The  militia  were  or 
dered  under  arms.  Captain  Noble  Jones,  at  the  head  of  a 
troop,  was  despatched  to  prevent  if  possible  their  entrance 
into  Savannah  armed.  Having  met  them,  he  ordered  them 
to  stop  and  lay  down  their  arms.  At  first  they  refused  ;  but 
his  determined  appearance  at  length  prevailed,  and  they  laid 
aside  their  arms,  upon  which  Thomas  Bosomworth,  in  his 
canonical  robes,  with  his  queen  by  his  side,  followed  by  the 
king  and  chiefs,  marched  into  the  town. 

The  inhabitants  were  struck  with  terror  at  the  sight  of 
this  ferocious  tribe  of  savages.  When  they  advanced  up  to 
the  parade,  they  found  the  militia  drawn  up  under  arms  to 
receive  them,  by  whom  they  were  saluted  with  fifteen  can 
nons,  and  conducted  to  the  president's  house.  Bosomworth 
being  ordered  to  withdraw,  the  Indian  chiefs,  in  a  friendly 


416  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


SAVANNAH. 


manner,  were  requested  to  declare  their  intention  in  paying 
this  visit  in  so  large  a  body,  without  being  sent  for  by  any 
person  in  authority  :  the  warriors,  as  they  had  been  instruct- 
ted,  answered  that  Mary  was  to  speak  for  them,  and  that 
they  would  abide  by  whatever  she  said ;  that  they  had  heard 
that  she  was  to  be  sent  like  a  captive  over  the  great  waters, 
and  they  were  come  to  know  on  what  account  they  were  to 
lose  their  queen  ;  that  they  intended  no  harm,  and  begged 
that  their  arms  might  be  restored  to  them  ;  and  after  con 
sulting  with  Bosomworth  and  his  wife,  they  would  return 
and  amicably  settle  all  public  affairs.  To  please  them,  their 
guns  were  returned,  but  strict  orders  were  issued  to  allow 
them  no  ammunition,  until  the  council  should  see  more 
clearly  into  their  dark  designs.  On  the  day  following,  the 
Indians  having  had  some  private  conferences  with  Mary, 
were  observed,  with  sullen  countenances,  to  march  in  a  tu 
multuous  manner  through  the  streets,  evidencing  a  hostile 
temper,  apparently  determined  on  mischief:  all  the  men 
being  obliged  to  mount  guard,  the  women  and  children  were 
terrified  and  afraid  to  remain  in  the  houses  by  themselves, 
expecting  every  moment  to  be  murdered  and  scalped. — 
During  this  confusion,  a  false  rumor  was  circulated,  that 
they  had  cut  off  president  Stephen's  head  with  a  tomahawk, 
which  so  exasperated  the  inhabitants  that  it  was  with  diffi 
culty  the  officers  could  restrain  the  troops  from  firing 
upon  the  savages  :  perhaps  the  exercise  of  the  greatest  pru 
dence  was  never  more  requisite  to  save  the  town  from  being 
deluged  with  blood.  Orders  were  given  to  lay  hold  on 
Bosomworth,  to  whom  it  was  insinuated  that  he  was  marked 
as  the  first  victim  in  case  of  extremities;  and  he  was  carried 
out  of  the  way,  and  closely  confined,  upon  which  Mary,  his 
beloved  queen,  became  outrageous  and  frantic,  and  threat 
ened  the  thunder  of  her  vengeance  against  the  magistrates, 
and  the  whole  colony :  she  ordered  all  white  persons  to 
depart  immediately  from  her  territories,  and  at  their  peril  to 
refuse  ;  she  cursed  Oglethorpe,  and  his  fraudulent  treaties, 
and,  furiously  stamping  her  foot  upon  the  earth,  swore  by 
her  Maker,  that  the  whole  globe  should  know  that  the 
ground  she  stood  upon  was  her  own.  To  prevent  any  as 
cendancy  by  bribes  over  the  chiefs  and  warriors,  she  kept 
the  leading  men  constantly  under  her  eye,  and  would  not 
suffer  them  to  utter  a  sentence  on  public  affairs,  but  in  her 
presence. 


BOSOMWORTH  AND  MALATCHE. 


27 


418  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


SAVANNAH. 


The  president  finding  no  peaceable  agreement  could  be 
made  with  the  Indians,  while  under  the  baleful  influence  of 
their  pretended  queen,  ordered  her  to  be  seized  and  con 
fined.  To  allay  the  storm  of  indignation  excited  by  this,  a 
feast  was  made  for  the  Indians,  at  which  the  evil  designs  of 
Bosomworth  were  unfolded  in  a  speech  by  the  president. — 
This  had  a  temporary  effect.  Even  Malatche  seemed  satis 
fied.  But  wishing  to  see  Bosomworth  and  his  wife  alone  for 
a  few  minutes,  the  artful  couple  again  seduced  the  aged 
chief,  who  returned  to  the  council  full  of  indignation,  insist 
ing  on  the  rights  of  the  queen.  Upon  this,  the  president 
rose,  and  in  a  short  but  plain  address,  so  set  forth  the  impo 
sitions  of  Bosomworth  and  Mary,  that  the  Indians  said  they 
were  satisfied  ;  their  eyes  were  opened,  and  they  now  offer 
ed  to  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace.  Accordingly  pipes  and  rum 
were  brought,  and  they  joined  hand  in  hand  and  smoked  to 
gether.  Presents  were  distributed,  and  all  appeared  satisfied 
and  happy. 

But  in  the  midst  of  this  friendly  interview,  Mary,  who  by 
some  means  had  contrived  to  escape,  rushed  in  like  a  fury, 
and  insultingly  told  the  president  that  she  would  soon  con 
vince  him  that  the  Indians  were  her  people,  and  that  he  had 
no  business  with  them. 

The  president  advised  her  quietly  to  retire  to  her  lodg 
ings,  or  he  would  send  her  to  prison.  Upon  this  Malatche 
took  fire ;  and  swinging  his  arms,  declared  that  no  one 
should  touch  the  queen.  The  house  was  filled  in  a  moment 
with  tumult;  every  Indian  having  his  tomahawk  in  his  hand, 
and  the  president  and  council  expecting  nothing  but  instant 
death.  At  this  critical  juncture,  Captain  Noble  Jones  with 
his  guard  interposed,  and  required  the  Indians  to  surrender. 
They  did  so  with  great  reluctance.  Mary  was  conveyed  to 
a  safe  place.  Bosomworth  was  sent  for  ;  but  for  a  time 
treated  the  council  with  great  indignity.  At  length,  through 
the  interposition  of  Bosomworth's  brother,  the  difficulty  was 
settled.  This  rash  and  wicked  man  was  forgiven,  and  the 
idle  claims  of  Mary  were  relinquished. 

They  were,  however,  afterwards  renewed ;  Bosomworth 
himself  instituted  a  suit  in  England,  founded  upon  his  deed 
from  the  Indians.  This  case  was  in  the  courts  of  Great 
Britain  twelve  years.  In  1759,  a  decision  was  made  at  the 
court  of  St.  James,  granting  to  Bosomworth  and  his  wife 
the  Island  of  St.  Catherines.  Bosomworth  and  Mary  took 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  419 


SAVANNAH. 


possession  of  the  island.      There,   some  time   after,   Mary 
died,  upon  which  Bosomworth  married  his  chambermaid. 

Finally,  the  remains  of  these  two  were  deposited  in  the 
same  grave-yard,  on  the  island  for  which  they  had  so  long 
contended.* 

Like  most  other  maritime  towns,  Savannah  suffered  during 
the  Revolutionary  war.  In  December,  1778,  it  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  British.  The  American  officer  to  whom,  at  this 
time,  the  defence  of  Georgia  was  committed,  was  General 
Howe.  His  force  consisted  of  about  600  regular  troops,  and 
a  few  hundred  militia;  the  British  force  consisted  of  about 
2000  men,  who,  under  Lieutenant  Colonel  Campbell,  had 
embarked  in  November  from  New  York,  on  board  a  fleet, 
commanded  by  Hyde  Park.  With  this  great  disparity,  it 
was  impossible  for  the  Americans  to  withstand  the  assail 
ants,  and  after  a  short  but  desperate,  and,  on  the  part  of  the 
Americans,  sanguinary  struggle,  the  town  and  fort  fell  under 
British  power.  Upwards  of  600  Americans  were  killed  ;  38 
officers  and  415  privates  were  made  prisoners.  No  less 
than  48  cannon,  23  mortars,  besides  a  considerable  quantity 
of  ammunition,  stores,  provision,  arid  also  the  shipping  in  the 
river,  became  the  possession  of  the  conquerors. 

In  1779,  a  request  was  sent  to  Count  D'Estaing,  by  Gen 
eral  Lincoln,  at  this  time  commanding  the  American  army 
in  the  southern  department,  to  assist  in  an  effort  to  retake 
Savannah.  D'Estaing  with  his  fleet  was  in  the  West  Indies  ; 
but  not  being  needed  there,  he  listened  to  the  proposal,  and 
soon  after  sailed  for  the  coast  of  Georgia,  with  his  fleet,  consist 
ing  of  20  sail  of  the  line — two  of  fifty  guns,  and  11  frigates. 

As  soon  as  the  arrival  was  known,  General  Lincoln,  with 
the  army  under  his  command,  marched  for  Savannah  ;  and 
orders  were  given  for  the  militia  of  Georgia  and  South  Caro 
lina,  to  rendezvous  near  the  same  place.  "The  British, to  pre 
pare  for  their  defence,  employed  great  numbers  by  day  and 
night,  in  strengthening  and  extending  their  lines,  while  the 
A  merican  militia,  sanguine  in  the  hope  of  expelling  the  enemy 
from  their  southern  possessions,  turned  out  with  unusual 
alacrity.  Before  the  arrival  of  General  Lincoln,  Count 
D'Estaing  demanded  a  surrender  of  the  town  to  the  arms  of 

*  M'Call's  History  of  Georgia. 


418  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


SAVANNAH. 


The  president  finding  no  peaceable  agreement  could  be 
made  with  the  Indians,  while  under  the  baleful  influence  of 
their  pretended  queen,  ordered  her  to  be  seized  and  con 
fined.  To  allay  the  storm  of  indignation  excited  by  this,  a 
feast  was  made  for  the  Indians,  at  which  the  evil  designs  of 
Bosomworth  were  unfolded  in  a  speech  by  the  president. — 
This  had  a  temporary  effect.  Even  Malatche  seemed  satis 
fied.  But  wishing  to  see  Bosomworth  and  his  wife  alone  for 
a  few  minutes,  the  artful  couple  again  seduced  the  aged 
chief,  who  returned  to  the  council  full  of  indignation,  insist 
ing  on  the  rights  of  the  queen.  Upon  this,  the  president 
rose,  and  in  a  short  but  plain  address,  so  set  forth  the  impo 
sitions  of  Bosomworth  and  Mary,  that  the  Indians  said  they 
were  satisfied  ;  their  eyes  were  opened,  and  they  now  offer 
ed  to  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace.  Accordingly  pipes  and  rum 
were  brought,  and  they  joined  hand  in  hand  and  smoked  to 
gether.  Presents  were  distributed,  and  all  appeared  satisfied 
and  happy. 

But  in  the  midst  of  this  friendly  interview,  Mary,  who  by 
some  means  had  contrived  to  escape,  rushed  in  like  a  fury, 
and  insultingly  told  the  president  that  she  would  soon  con 
vince  him  that  the  Indians  were  her  people,  and  that  he  had 
no  business  with  them. 

The  president  advised  her  quietly  to  retire  to  her  lodg 
ings,  or  he  would  send  her  to  prison.  Upon  this  Malatche 
took  fire ;  and  swinging  his  arms,  declared  that  no  one 
should  touch  the  queen.  The  house  was  filled  in  a  moment 
with  tumult;  every  Indian  having  his  tomahawk  in  his  hand, 
and  the  president  and  council  expecting  nothing  but  instant 
death.  At  this  critical  juncture,  Captain  Noble  Jones  with 
his  guard  interposed,  and  required  the  Indians  to  surrender. 
They  did  so  with  great  reluctance.  Mary  was  conveyed  to 
a  safe  place.  Bosomworth  was  sent  for  ;  but  for  a  time 
treated  the  council  with  great  indignity.  At  length,  through 
the  interposition  of  Bosomworth's  brother,  the  difficulty  was 
settled.  This  rash  and  wicked  man  was  forgiven,  and  the 
idle  claims  of  Mary  were  relinquished. 

They  were,  however,  afterwards  renewed;  Bosomworth 
himself  instituted  a  suit  in  England,  founded  upon  his  deed 
from  the  Indians.  This  case  was  in  the  courts  of  Great 
Britain  twelve  years.  In  1759,  a  decision  was  made  at  the 
court  of  St.  James,  granting  to  Bosomworth  and  his  wife 
the  Island  of  St.  Catherines.  Bosomworth  and  Mary  took 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  419 


SAVANNAH. 


possession  of  the  island.      There,   some  time   after,   Mary 
died,  upon  which  Bosomworth  married  his  chambermaid. 

Finally,  the  remains  of  these  two  were  deposited  in  the 
same  grave-yard,  on  the  island  for  which  they  had  so  long 
contended.* 

Like  most  other  maritime  towns,  Savannah  suffered  during 
the  Revolutionary  war.  In  December,  1778,  it  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  British.  The  American  officer  to  whom,  at  this 
time,  the  defence  of  Georgia  was  committed,  was  General 
Howe.  His  force  consisted  of  about  600  regular  troops,  and 
a  few  hundred  militia;  the  British  force  consisted  of  about 
2000  men,  who,  under  Lieutenant  Colonel  Campbell,  had 
embarked  in  November  from  New  York,  on  board  a  fleet, 
commanded  by  Hyde  Park.  With  this  great  disparity,  it 
was  impossible  for  the  Americans  to  withstand  the  assail 
ants,  and  after  a  short  but  desperate,  and,  on  the  part  of  the 
Americans,  sanguinary  struggle,  the  town  and  fort  fell  under 
British  power.  Upwards  of  600  Americans  were  killed  ;  38 
officers  and  415  privates  were  made  prisoners.  No  less 
than  48  cannon,  23  mortars,  besides  a  considerable  quantity 
of  ammunition,  stores,  provision,  and  also  the  shipping  in  the 
river,  became  the  possession  of  the  conquerors. 

In  1779,  a  request  was  sent  to  Count  D'Estaing,  by  Gen 
eral  Lincoln,  at  this  time  commanding  the  American  army 
in  the  southern  department,  to  assist  in  an  effort  to  retake 
Savannah.  D'Estaing  with  his  fleet  was  in  the  West  Indies  ; 
but  not  being  needed  there,  he  listened  to  the  proposal,  and 
soon  after  sailed  for  the  coast  of  Georgia,  with  his  fleet,  consist 
ing  of  20  sail  of  the  line — two  of  fifty  guns,  and  11  frigates. 

As  soon  as  the  arrival  was  known,  General  Lincoln,  with 
the  army  under  his  command,  marched  for  Savannah  ;  and 
orders  were  given  for  the  militia  of  Georgia  and  South  Caro 
lina,  to  rendezvous  near  the  same  place.  The  British, to  pre 
pare  for  their  defence,  employed  great  numbers  by  day  and 
night,  in  strengthening  and  extending  their  lines,  while  the 
American  militia,  sanguine  in  the  hope  of  expelling  the  enemy 
from  their  southern  possessions,  turned  out  with  unusual 
alacrity.  Before  the  arrival  of  General  Lincoln,  Count 
D'Estaing  demanded  a  surrender  of  the  town  to  the  arms  of 

*  M'Call's  History  of  Georgia. 


420  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

SAVANNAH. 

France.  Provost  asked  a  suspension  of  hostilities  24  hours, 
for  preparing  terms ;  and  the  request  was  incautiously 
granted.  Before  the  stipulated  time  had  elapsed,  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Maitland,  with  about  800  men,  after  struggling  with 
great  difficulties,  arrived  from  Beaufort,  and  joined  the  royal 
army  at  Savannah.  The  arrival  of  so  considerable  a  rein 
forcement  of  chosen  troops,  and  especially  the  presence  of 
the  officer  who  commanded  them,  in  whose  zeal,  ability, 
and  military  experience,  much  confidence  was  justly  placed 
by  the  army,  inspired  the  garrison  in  Savannah  with  new 
animation  ;  and  an  answer  was  returned  to  the  Count,  that 
the  town  would  be  defended  to  the  last  extremity.  The  zeal 
and  ardor  of  both  officers  and  men  rose  with  the  occasion  ; 
and  new  defences  were  daily  constructed  under  the  masterly 
direction  of  an  able  engineer,  Captain  Moncrieff. 

On  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  October,  the  batteries  of  the 
besiegers  were  opened  with  9  mortars,  37  pieces  of  cannon 
from  the  land  side,  and  15  from  the  water.  It  being  at  length 
ascertained,  that  considerable  time  would  be  necessary  to 
reduce  the  garrison  by  regular  approaches,  it  was  determined 
to  make  an  assault.  In  pursuance  of  this  determination,  on 
the  9th  of  October,  while  two  feints  were  made  with  the 
militia,  a  real  attack  was  made  on  Spring  Hill  battery,  just 
as  daylight  appeared,  with  two  columns,  consisting  of  3500 
French  troops,  GOO  continentals,  and  350  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Charleston.  The  principal  of  these  columns,  commanded 
by  D'Estaing  and  General  Lincoln,  marched  up  boldly  to 
the  lines  ;  but  a  heavy  and  well-directed  fire  from  the  gal- 
lies  threw  the  front  of  the  column  into  confusion.  The 
places  of  those  who  fell  being  instantly  supplied  by  others, 
it  still  moved  on  until  it  reached  a  redoubt,  when  the  con 
test  became  more  fierce  and  desperate.  Captain  Towse  fell 
in  defending  the  gate  of  his  redoubt,  with  his  sword  plunged 
in  the  body  of  the  third  assailant,  whom  he  had  slain  with 
his  own  hand,  and  a  French  and  an  American  standard 
were  for  an  instant  planted  on  the  parapet  ;  but  the  as 
sailants,  after  sustaining  the  enemy's  fire  fifty-five  minutes, 
were  ordered  to  retreat.  Of  the  French,  637,  and  of  the 
continentals  and  militia,  241,  were  killed  or  wounded.  Im 
mediately  after  this  unsuccessful  assault,  the  militia  almost 
universally  went  to  their  homes,  and  Count  D'Estaing,  re- 
embarking  his  troops  and  artillery,  left  the  continent. 


GENERAL  LINCOLN. 


COUNT  D'ESTAfNG 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  423 


SAVANNAH. 


This  assault  is  judged  to  have  been  unadvisable  ;  but  this 
measure  was  forced  on  D'Estaing  by  his  marine  officers,  who 
remonstrated  against  his  continuing  to  risk  the  French  fleet 
on  a  dangerous  coast,  in  the  hurricane  season,  and  at  such 
a  distance  from  the  shore,  as  to  be  endangered  by  a  British 
squadron.  "  In  a  few  days,  the  lines  of  the  besiegers  might 
have  been  carried,  by  regular  approaches,  into  the  works  of 
the  besieged."  Count  Pulaski  was  mortally  wounded  in  this 
assault;  and  Congress  resolved,  that  a  monument  should  be 
erected  to  his  memory.  He  was  a  Polander  of  high  birth, 
who  with  a  few  men  had  carried  off  king  Stanilaus  from  the 
middle  of  his  capital.  The  king,  after  being  some  time  a 
prisoner,  made  his  escape  :  and  soon  after  declared  Pulaski 
an  outlaw.  Thus  proscribed,  he  came  to  America,  and 
offered  his  services  to  Congress,  which  honored  him  with  the 
rank  of  brigadier  gener^  * 

Just  before  the  siege  of  Savannah,  an  enterprise  was 
achieved  by  six  Americans,  remarkable  for  the  address  and 
daring  intrepidity,  with  which  it  was  planned  and  executed. 
Captain  French,  of  the  British  army,  with  about  one  hun 
dred  men,  had  taken  post  on  the  Ogeeche  river,  where  were 
also  forty  sailors  on  board  of  five  British  vessels,  four  of 
which  were  armed,  the  largest  mounting  fourteen  guns. 
Colonel  John  White,  of  the  Georgia  line,  with  Captain  El- 
holm  and  four  other  persons,  one  of  whom  was  the  Colonel's 
servant,  after  kindling  at  night  a  number  of  fires,  exhibiting 
the  parade  of  a  large  encampment,  and  using  other  strata 
gems,  peremptorily  summoned  the  British  commander  to 
surrender.  Captain  French,  in  order  to  save  his  men  from 
being  cut  to  pieces,  by  a  force  which  he  supposed  to  be  su 
perior  to  his  own,  surrendered  (1st  of  October)  without  the 
smallest  resistance.  Colonel  White  having  thus  far  succeeded, 
pretended  he  must  keep  back  his  troops,  lest  their  animosity, 
already  stifled  by  great  exertions,  should  break  out,  arid  in 
discriminate  slaughter  take  place  in  defiance  of  his  authority  ; 
and  therefore  he  would  commit  his  prisoners  to  three  guides, 
who  would  conduct  them  safely  to  good  quarters.  This 
humane  attention  of  White  was  thankfully  received.  He 
immediately  ordered  three  of  his  attendants  to  proceed  with 
the  prisoners,  who  moved  off  with  celerity,  anxious  to  get 
away,  lest  the  fury  of  White's  corps,  believed  to  be  at  hand, 


»  I  \ 

(      V    V. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


425 


SAVANNAH. 


might  break  out,  desirous  as  he  was  to  restrain  it.  White, 
with  the  two  men  retained  by  him,  repaired,  as  he  announced 
to  his  guides  and  prisoners,  to  his  troops,  for  the  purpose  of 
proceeding  in  the  rear.  He  then  employed  himself  in  col 
lecting  the  militia  of  the  neighborhood,  with  whom  he  over 
took  his  guides  and  prisoners. 

This  affair,  says  Gen.  H.  Lee,  in  his  memoirs,  approaches 
too  near  the  marvellous  to  have  been  admitted  by  him,  had 
it  not  been  uniformly  accredited,  and  never  contradicted. 


GENERAL  H.  LEE. 


FLORIDA. 


ST.  AUGUSTINE. 

ST.  AUGUSTINE,  according  to  Colonel  Williams,  is  the 
oldest  city  in  the  present  limits  of  the  United  States.  It  was 
first  settled  by  the  Spaniards,  under  Pedro  Mendcz,  in  1564. 
It  is  situate  two  miles  back  from  the  Atlantic  shore,  near  the 
southern  point  of  a  peninsula,  nearly  surrounded  by  water  ; 
defended  from  the  surf  by  Anastasia  Island,  which  is  not 
high  enough  to  obstruct  the  sea  breezes,  or  a  view  of  the 
ocean.  The  situation  is  peculiarly  serene,  healthy,  and 
pleasant.  The  site  was  originally  a  shell  hammock,  scarcely 
twelve  feet  higher  than  the  surface  of  the  sea.  The  soil,  al 
though  sandy,  is  rich  in  calcareous  and  vegetable  deposites, 
finely  calculated  for  horticultural  pursuits.  The  town  is,  in 
fact,  embosomed  in  a  grove  of  orange  trees.*  Abundance 
of  fresh  water  is  found  near  the  surface  of  the  ground,  which, 
although  it  is  not  so  pure  as  that  of  the  country,  is  used 
without  any  inconvenience  for  all  the  purposes  of  drinking, 
cooking,  and  washing.  The  climate  of  St.  Augustine  is 
probably  equal  to  any  on  earth.  Snow  is  almost  unknown, 
and  frosts  are  felt  in  one  or  two  months  only  of  the  year,  and 
many  winters  pass  without  discovering  a  mark  of  frost.  In  the 
summer  season,  the  air  is  tempered  daily  by  the  sea  breezes, 
while  the  land  breezes  render  the  evenings  cool  and  pleasant. 
Heavy  rains  are  frequent  during  the  summer  months,  but 
from  October  to  May,  the  air  is  usually  temperate,  and  the 
sky  serene. 

In  form,  the  town  is  a  parallelogram,  fronting  to  the  east, 
on  Matanzas  sound,  which  spreads  itself  half  a  mile  in 
width  between  the  town  and  Anastasia  Island,  forming  a 
harbor  sufficiently  capacious  to  contain  a  large  fleet  in  per 
fect  safety.  From  the  old  magazine  on  the  south  to  the 
gate  way  on  the  north  side  of  the  city,  the  distance  is  about 
one  mile,  and  from  the  Matanzas  to  the  St.  Sebastian's  on 

*  1834,  before  the  great  frost. 
426 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  427 


ST.   AUGUSTINE. 


the  west,  is  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile.  Not  more  than 
one  half  of  this  extent  is  compactly  built.  It  contains  up 
wards  of  three  hundred  houses,  more  than  half  of  which  are 
built  of  shell  stone,  called  by  the  Spaniards  coquina.  Most 
of  the  old  houses  are  two  stories  high,  the  lower  floor  of 
which  is  tabby  ;*  in  some  instances  the  upper  floor  and  roof 
are  of  the  same  material.  These  are  now  generally  removed, 
on  account  of  their  great  weight,  from  the  upper  parts  of  the 
buildings.  The  principal  streets  cross  each  other  at  right 
angles,  but  they  are  narrow,  and  many  of  them  crooked.  A 
fine  large  square  opens  from  the  Matanzas  into  the  eastern 
part  of  the  town,  in  the  centre  of  which  stands  a  monument, 
dedicated  to  the  constitution  of  the  Spanish  Cortez.  On  the 
west  side  of  the  public  square,  where  the  old  government 
house  formerly  stood,  in  the  centre  of  the  botanic  garden, 
enclosed  by  high  walls,  a  neat  court-house  has  been  erected. 
It  is  two  stories  high,  in  form  of  an  L.  It  is  built  of  coquina 
stone,  and  contains,  besides  the  hall  of  justice,  and  jury 
rooms,  apartments  for  all  the  public  offices  of  the  district. 
On  the  north  stands  a  splendid  Catholic  church,  and  the  ruins 
of  an  old  custom-house,  which  was  burnt  down  in  January, 
1825.  On  the  south  side  are  several  elegant  dwelling  houses, 
and  the  new  Trinity  church,  a  very  neat  edifice  of  the  Gothic 
order.  In  front  of  the  harbor  stands  a  neat  market  place; 
dwelling-houses  and  orange  groves  fill  up  the  intervening 
spaces  round  the  square,  which  give  it  rather  a  rural  than 
commercial  appearance. 

Fort  Mason  stands  at  the  north  end  of  the  town,  directly 
opposite  to  the  entrance  of  the  harbor,  which  it  perfectly 
commands.  It  is  built  after  the  system  of  Vauban,  and  is 
said  to  be  a  very  good  specimen  of  military  architecture. 
It  is  a  trapezium,  with  bastions  at  each  corner.  The  walls 
are  twenty-one  feet  high.  The  whole  work  is  casemated, 
and  bomb  proof.  The  ditch  is  forty  feet  wide.  The  covered 

*  Tabby  is  formed  by  mixing  a  quantity  of  lime  with  the  fine  coquina 
shell,  cast  on  shore  by  the  tide.  These  materials  are  with  fresh  water 
mixed  into  a  stiff  mortar,  and  then  spread  from  four  to  six  inches  tnick, 
either  on  the  ground,  or  on  a  flooring  of  boards.  It  is  then  beat  with  a 
heavy  stamper,  similar  to  that  used  by  pavers,  to  smooth  their  work. 
When  beat  till  no  more  water  appears  on  the  surface,  it  is  left  to  dry. 
It  is  then  in  substance  very  similar  to  the  coquina  rock,  except  that  the 
surface,  by  beating,  becomes  very  smooth. 


428  TRAVELS  AND   SKETCHES 


ST.   AUGUSTINE. 


way,  glacis,  ravelin,  and  place  of  arms  are  entire,  but  the 
water  batteries  are  giving  way  to  the  tides,  which  are  rap 
idly  undermining  its  base,  and  require  immediate  repairs. 
The  fort  is  calculated  to  contain  one  thousand  fighting  men, 
and  formerly  mounted  seventy  pieces  of  heavy  ordnance. 
They  are  at  present  dismounted.  A  small  part  of  the  fort  is 
still  occupied  as  an  arsenal  ;  the  balance  is  used  as  a  jail  for 
criminals. 

A  sea  wall  seven  feet  high,  and  five  feet  thick,  was  ex 
tended  from  the  fort  to  the  public  square.  This  wall  has 
been  rebuilt,  at  the  expense  of  $50,000,  under  the  superin 
tendence  of  Mr.  Daney,  late  of  the  army,  and  will  be  ex 
tended  in  front  of  the  whole  city,  to  check  the  inroads  daily 
made  by  the  tides.  Great  injury  has  already  been  sustained, 
by  one  or  two  eastern  gales,  for  want  of  this  barrier. 

In  the  south  part  of  the  town,  fronting  the  Matanzas,  the 
barracks  occupy  an  important  situation.  It  is  erected  on  the 
ruins  of  an  old  pile  of  buildings,  formerly  constructed  by  the 
Franciscan  order  of  Friars,  as  the  head  quarters  of  their 
fraternity.  The  vessel  which  brought  their  General  and 
principal  men  from  Cuba,  was  wrecked  on  the  coast,  in  sight 
of  their  dwelling,  and  the  passengers  and  crew  all  per 
ished.  Since  that  time,  it  has  been  occupied  as  a  barracks, 
successively  by  the  Spaniards  and  British,  until  it  was  de 
stroyed  by  fire.  Since  the  change  of  government,  it  has 
been  rebuilt  at  an  expense  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars. 
An  extensive  garden  is  attached  to  the  building,  which 
affords,  at  times,  abundant  vegetables  for  the  troops  stationed 
there. 

The  city  contains  1,934  inhabitants,  of  whom  63 1  are  slaves. 
Of  this  population,  nearly  one-half  are  natives  of  the  United 
States;  the  balance  are  descendants  of  the  Minorcan  families 
introduced  by  Dr.  Turnbull — Spaniards,  French,  English, 
Greeks,  and  Italians,  who  are  all  rapidly  amalgamating  into 
one  people,  and  will,  ere  long,  assume  a  general  national  cha 
racter.  They  are  social  and  friendly  in  their  manners,  kind 
and  hospitable  to  strangers,  industrious  and  frugal  in  their 
habits,  fond  of  amusement,  void  of  intemperance  and  public 
spirit,  but  content  with  their  situation.  The  religion  of  at 
least  half  of  the  inhabitants  is  Roman  Catholic;  the  balance, 
who  profess  any  religion,  are  Presbyterians,  Episcopalians,  and 
Methodists. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  429 


ST.   AUGUSTINE. 


The  market  is  rather  scantily  supplied  with  meat  and  veg 
etables.  Fish  are  abundant,  of  various  kinds,  and  finely 
flavored.  Fowls  are  rather  dear  and  scarce. 

Of  schools  there  are  few,  and  in  the  whole  department  of 
education,  there  is  great  room  for  improvement.  Schools 
established  on  a  liberal  foundation,  are  needed  ;  such  would 
enable  the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich  to  receive  instruction  ; 
and  above  all,  the  children  of  the  old  inhabitants  should  be 
encouraged  to  attend  the  same  schools  as  the  Americans, 
that  their  habits  and  manners  may  the  sooner  become 
united. 

Directly  behind  the  town,  an  inlet  of  salt  water  enters 
from  the  southern  marshes,  and  extends  nearly  to  the  north 
ditch.  It  is  called  Mary  Sanches  Creek.  The  space  be 
tween  this  and  the  Matanzas  river,  is  divided  into  squares 
of  irregular  dimensions.  The  western  division,  between  the 
creek  and  St.  Sebastian's  river,  is  laid  off  into  lots  of  differ 
ent  size,  from  two  to  twenty  acres.  Most  of  these  are  cov 
ered  with  fruit  trees,  such  as  mulberry,  plum,  peach,  fig, 
pomegranate,  and  oranges.  Across  the  creek,  an  excellent 
stone  causeway  is  erected.  The  St.  Sebastian's  is  crossed  by 
a  bridge  500  feet  long,  and  a  causeway  is  extended  over  the 
marshes,  about  seven  hundred  yards.  The  soil  of  the  city 
and  neighborhood  is  excellent  for  horticultural  improve 
ments,  and  much  of  it  is  cultivated  in  gardens,  as  well  as 
groves.  The  timber  which  was  originally  abundant  around 
the  city,  has  in  a  long  course  of  years,  been  cut  off  to  a  con 
siderable  distance.  Wood  and  fencing  materials  are  conse 
quently  scarce  and  dear.  Most  of  the  lumber  used  here  is 
brought  from  northern  ports.  This  renders  building  expen 
sive.  Notwithstanding  this  circumstance,  the  inhabitants  are 
beginning  to  repair  most  of  the  old  dwellings,  and  to  erect 
some  new  and  elegant  buildings.  The  Presbyterian  church, 
in  the  south  part  of  the  town,  has  lately  been  inclosed,  and 
finished  in  a  plain  but  neat  style.  A  small  Methodist,  church 
was  built  in  1813,  on  Charlotte  street. 

St.  Augustine  has  become  a  place  of  great  resort  for  in 
valids,  affected  by  pulmonary  and  bronchial  complaints.  To 
this  circumstance  and  the  sale  of  oranges,  the  place  owes 
its  prosperity.  The  accommodations  for  strangers  are  rapidly 
improving,  and  it  is  believed,  that  in  a  short  time,  persons 


430  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


ST.   AUGUSTINE. 


of  the  first  rank  will  be  under  no  necessity  for  visiting 
Italy,  or  the  south  of  France,  for  the  improvement  of  their 
health,  as  our  climate  is  equally  salubrious,  and  the  con 
veniences  and  luxuries  of  life  may  easily  be  obtained,  when  it 
is  known  that  they  will  be  required. 

In  18*21,  St.  Augustine  was  visited  with  the  yellow  fever. 
It  broke  out  in  several  old  buildings  situated  in  the  back 
part  of  the  city,  which  had  for  a  long  time  been  closed  up, 
their  owners  having  retired  to  Havana.  On  the  cession  of 
the  country  to  the  United  States,  a  sudden  increase  of  popu 
lation  occasioned  these  houses  to  be  thrown  open,  and  rented 
to  strangers.  One  of  them  was  hired  late  in  October  to 
several  American  officers ;  three  of  them  fell  immediate 
victims  to  the  fatal  disease.  In  some  instances,  the  sickness 
commenced  -in  vessels  lying  in  the  harbor,  which  had 
brought  fruit  from  Cuba.  One  of  these  had  on  the  voyage 
lost  the  Captain,  and  most  of  the  crew,  by  sickness.  Some 
early  cases  of  fever  were  traced  to  other  vessels.  In  most 
cases,  however,  the  sickness  seemed  to  originate  in  the  place 
of  its  operation.  Since  that  period,  St.  Augustine  has  been 
distinguished  as  one  of  the  most  healthy  spots  in  the  United 
States. 

In  the  vicinity  of  St.  Augustine,  great  attention  is  paid  to 
the  cultivation  of  the  orange.  Indeed  orange  groves  are  ex 
tending  to  every  part  of  the  eastern  coast ;  2,000,000  are 
annually  shipped  from  St.  Augustine.  Oranges  form  the 
staple  commodity  of  the  country.  The  western  and  middle 
part  of  the  Territory  are  too  cold  for  the  successful  produc 
tion  of  this  fruit.  The  China  orange  tree  requires  a  rich 
sandy  soil.  It  produces  fruit  in  about  seven  years  from  the 
seed.  By  ingrafting,  this  period  may  be  shortened  two  or 
three  years.  The  tree  grows  larger  here  than  in  the  West 
Indies.  One  hundred  is  as  many  as  can  grow  profitably  on 
an  acre.  When  full  grown,  they  will  usually  average  500  to 
the  tree,  each  year,  and  they  are  worth  87  50  per  thousand, 
which  would  amount  to  $375  per  acre.  Some  groves  pro 
duce  much  more  than  that.  One  tree  in  Mr.  Alvarez's 
grove  has  produced  more  than  6000  in  one  year.  A  grove 
is,  on  the  whole,  a  valuable  property.  The  care  and  atten 
tion  necessary  in  pruning  and  manuring,  bears  a  small  pro 
portion  to  the  labor  necessary  in  raising  crops.  It  is  neces- 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  431 


ST.   AUGUSTINE. 


sary  to  keep  the  head  of  the  tree  pruned  often,  so  as  to 
throw  the  weight  of  vegetation  to  the  extremity  of  the  limbs. 
No  moss  is  suffered  to  grow  on  the  bark.  The  ground  about 
them  is  kept  clear  of  weeds  and  grass,  and  the  roots  are  an 
nually  manured.  The  frost  of  the  winter  of  1835  destroyed 
all  the  China  orange  trees,  and  most  other  fruit  trees  in 
Florida,  as  far  south  as  the  28th  degree  of  latitude.  South 
of  that,  the  wild  orange  and  lime  groves  were  injured  but  not 
destroyed. 

Col.  Williams  thus  describes  the  amusements  of  Florida, 
in  general,  and  of  St.  Augustine  in  particular.  Balls  are  the 
most  common  amusements  of  the  Floridians.  The  Patgo  of 
West  Florida,  is  rather  the  introduction  to  a  dance.  A 
wooden  bird  is  fixed  on  a  pole  and  carried  through  the  city, 
by  some  slave;  on  presenting  it  to  the  ladies,  they  make  an 
offering  of  a  piece  of  ribbon,  of  any  length  or  color  that  hap 
pens  to  suit  their  fancy  or  convenience.  This  is  fixed  to  the 
bird,  which  soon  becomes  decked  in  a  gaudy  and  abundant 
plumage.  A  time  and  place  is  then  set  apart  for  the  fair 
patrons  of  the  Patgo  to  assemble,  who  are  usually  gallantly 
attended  by  their  beaux,  with  rifles  or  fowling-pieces.  The 
Patgo  is  set  up  at  a  proper  distance,  and  shot  at,  the  fortu 
nate  marksman  who  first  succeeds,  in  striking  it,  is  pro 
claimed  king  of  the  entertainment.  The  Patgo  becomes  his 
property,  by  right  of  conquest,  and  is,  by  him,  presented  to 
the  fair  lady  of  his  choice,  who  by  accepting  the  present 
becomes  queen  of  the  festivities  ;  his  majesty  then  becomes 
entitled  to  the  enviable  privilege  of  paying  the  expense  of 
the  entertainment,  over  which  he  with  his  royal  consort 
presides. 

The  Poscy  dance,  of  St.  Augustine,  is  introduced  in  a  dif 
ferent  manner,  but  results  in  the  same  amusement.  The 
females  of  a  family,  no  matter  what  their  rank  or  station  in 
life  may  be,  erect  in  a  room  of  their  house  a  neat  little  altar,  lit 
up  with  candles,  and  dressed  with  pots  and  festoons  of  flowers. 
This  is  understood  by  the  gentlemen  as  a  polite  invitation 
to  call  and  admire  the  taste  of  the  fair  architects.  It  is  con 
tinued  for  several  successive  evenings  ;  in  the  meantime,  the 
lady  selects  from  her  visiters  some  happy  beau,  whom  she 
delights  to  honor,  and  presents  hirn  with  a  boquet  of  choice 


432  TRAVELS  AND    SKETCHES 

ST.    AUGUSTINE. 

flowers.  His  gallantry  is  then  put  to  the  test  :  should  he 
choose  to  decline  the  proffered  honor,  he  has  only  to  pay 
the  expense  of  lighting  up  the  altar.  But  if  he  accepts  the 
full  dignity  offered  him,  he  is  king  of  the  ball,  which  shortly 
after  succeeds,  and  the  posey  lass  becomes  queen,  as  a  mat 
ter  of  course.  The  posey  ball  is  a  mixed  assembly.  People 
of  all  ranks  meet  here  on  a  level,  yet  so  far  as  we  have  been 
acquainted  with  them,  they  have  been  conducted  with  the 
nicest  decorum,  and  even  with  politeness  and  grace.* 

*  Williams's  "  Territory  of  Florida." 


28 


ALABAMA. 


MOBILE. 

MOBILE  is  a  port  of  entry,  and  the  most  important  place  in 
the  state  of  Alabama.  It  lies  on  the  west  side  of  Mobile  river, 
at  its  entrance  into  Mobile  bay,  30  miles  north  from  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico.  The  town  contains  13,710  free  inhabitants  and 
G,803  slaves,  according  to  the  census  of  1850.  It  is  situated 
on  an  extended  plain,  elevated  fifteen  feet  above  the  highest 
tides,  and  has  a  beautiful  prospect  of  the  bay,  from  which  it 
receives  refreshing  breezes.  Vessels  having  a  draught  of  more 
than  eight  feet  of  water  cannot  come  directly  to  the  city,  but 
pass  up  Spanish  river,  six  miles,  round  a  marshy  island,  into 
Mobile  river,  and  then  drop  down  to  the  city.  As  a  place  of 
export,  Mobile  ranks  next  to  New  Orleans  and  Charleston  in 
the  list  of  southern  ports.  The  city  is  supplied  with  excellent 
water,  brought  in  iron  pipes  for  a  distance  of  two  miles.  The 
harbour  is  defended  by  Fort  Morgan,  situated  on  a  low,  sandy 
point,  at  the  mouth  of  the  bay,  opposite  to  Dauphin  island. 

A  considerable  number  of  sailing  vessels  ply  regularly  be 
tween  Mobile  and  New  Orleans,  ports  in  the  Gulf  and  on  the 
Atlantic  coast.  Steamboats  also  keep  up  a  daily  communication 
with  New  Orleans  and  a  few  other  ports.  The  initiatory  steps 
have  been  taken  for  the  construction  of  a  railroad  from  Mobile 
to  Columbus,  on  the  Mississippi,  and  thence  to  Chicago. 
When  this  great  chain  of  communication  shall  be  complete, 
Mobile  will  become  one  of  the  most  important  cities  of  the, 
Southern  states. 

Mobile  was  founded  by  the  French  about  1700.  In  1763, 
they  ceded  it  to  England.  In  1780,  the  English  surrendered 
it  to  the  Spanish,  in  whose  possession  it  continued  until  1813, 
when  it  was  ceded  to  the  United  States.  The  place  has  thus 
changed  masters  more  frequently  than  any  other  town  in  the 
United  States,  In  1819,  it  was  incorporated  as  a  city,  and 
from  that  time  its  progress  has  been  rapid. 
434 


ARKANSAS. 


LITTLE  ROCK. 

LITTLE  ROCK  is  the  seat  of  government  of  the  state  of  Ar 
kansas.  It  is  situated  on  a  high  bluff  point  on  the  south  bank 
of  the  Arkansas  river,  and  derives  its  name  from  the  masses 
of  stone  about  it.  It  is  300  miles  from  the  mouth  oT  the 
river  by  its  course,  and  about  half  that  distance  in  a  direct 
line.  The  village  of  Little  Rock  was  laid  out  in  1820,  and  for 
some  time  called  Acropolis.  Its  growth  has  not  been  very 
rapid,  but  it  is  still  a  flourishing  place.  It  contains  the  usual 
state  buildings  and  about  2,000  inhabitants.  Fifty-three  miles 
from  Little  Rock  are  the  Hot  Springs,  which  are  considered 
highly  efficacious  in  chronic  diseases,  such  as  scrofula,  rheuma 
tism,  &c.  A  line  of  stages  runs  twice  a  week  between  the 
capital  and  the  springs,  and  visitors  will  find  good  and  cheap 
accommodation  at  Mitchell's  Hotel,  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
latter. 

The  other  towns  of  importance  in  Arkansas  are  Helena, 
Napoleon,  and  Columbia,  all  on  the  Mississippi.  At  Helena 
the  traveller  will  find  a  range  of  beautiful  hills,  the  only  ele 
vations  for  many  miles.  Napoleon  is  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Arkansas.  It  is  a  depot  and  place  of  landing  for  the  produce 
brought  from  the  interior  of  Arkansas,  and  will  therefore  be 
come  a  very  important  town.  Columbia  is  on  the  Mississippi, 
about  66  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas.  Besides 
these  towns,  Bateville  on  the  White  river,  Van  Buren  on  the 
Arkansas,  Fayetteville  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  state,  and 
Fulton  on  the  Red  river,  are  worthy  of  a  visit  on  account  of 
the  beauty  and  fertility  of  the  country  adjacent  to  them,  and 
the  probability  of  their  becoming  important  places. 


437 


LOUISIANA. 


NEW  ORLEANS. 

NEW  ORLEANS,  the  wet  grave*  says  the  Modern  Travel 
ler,  where  the  hopes  of  thousands  are  buried, — for  eighty 
years  the  wretched  asylum  for  the  outcasts  of  France  and 
Spain,  who  could  not  venture  a  hundred  paces  beyond  its 
gates,  without  utterly  sinking  to  the  breast  in  mud,  or  being 
attacked  by  alligators, —  has  become,  in  the  space  of  some 
twenty  or  thirty  years,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  cities  of  the 
Union,  inhabited  by  50,000  persons,  who  trade  with  half  the 
world.  The  view  (approaching  the  city  from  the  interior) 
is  splendid  beyond  description,  when  you  pass  down  the 
stream,  which  is  here  a  mile  broad,  rolling  its  immense  vol 
ume  of  waters  in  a  bed,  more  than  150  feet  deep,  and,  as  if 
conscious  of  its  strength,  appearing  to  look  quietly  on  the 
bustle  of  the  inhabitants  of  man.  Both  its  banks  are  lined 
with  charming  sugar  plantations,  from  the  midst  of  which 
rises  the  airy  mansion  of  the  wealthy  planter,  surrounded 
with  orange,  banana,  lime,  and  fig  trees,  the  growth  of  a 
climate  approaching  to  the  torrid  zone.  In  the  rear  you 
discover  the  cabins  of  the  negroes  and  the  sugar  houses, 
and  just  at  the  entrance  of  the  port,  groups  of  smaller  houses, 
as  if  erected  for  the  purpose  of  concealing  the  prospect  of 
the  town.  As  soon  as  the  steamboats  pass  these  outports, 
New  Orleans,  in  the  form  of  a  half  moon,  appears  in  all  its 
splendor.  The  river  having  run  for  four  or  five  miles  in  a 
southern  direction,  here  suddenly  takes  an  eastern  course, 
which  it  pursues  for  two  miles,  thus  forminor  a  semi-circular 
bend.  A  single  glance  exhibits  to  view  the  harbor,  tin.' 
vessels  at  anchor,  and  the  city,  situated  as  it  were  at  the 
feet  of  the  passenger.  The  first  object  that  presents  itself, 
is  the  dirty  and  uncouth  backwoods  flat  boat.  Hams,  ears 

*  "  Water  is  found  two  feet  below  the   surface.     Those  who  cannot 
afford  to  procure  a  vault  for  the  dead,  are  literally  compelled  to  deposits 
them  in  the  water." 
438 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  441 


NEW     ORLEANS. 


of  corn,  apples,  whiskey  barrels,  are  stowed  upon  it,  or  are 
fixed  to  poles  to  direct  the  attention  of  the  buyers.  Close 
by,  are  the  rather  more  decent  keel-boats,  with  cotton,  furs, 
whiskey,  flour.  Next,  the  elegant  steamboat,  which  by  its 
hissing  and  repeated  sounds,  announces  either  its  arrival  or 
departure  ;  sending  forth  immense  columns  of  black  smoke 
that  form  into  long  clouds  above  the  city.  Further  on  are 
the  smaller  merchant  vessels,  the  sloops  and  schooners  from 
the  Havana,  Vera  Cruz,  Tampico ;  then  the  brigs;  and 
lastly,  the  elegant  ships,  appearing  like  a  forest  of  masts.* 

The  city  of  New  Orleans  occupies  the  left  bank  of  the 
Mississippi  river,  105  miles  by  the  channel  above  its  mouth, 
and  by  the  course  of  the  river,  322  miles  from  Natchez, 
1,005  from  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  1,200  below  the  mouth  of 
the  Missouri,  1,175  from  St.  Louis,  1,350  from  Louisville, 
1,500  from  Cincinnati,  1,780  from  Pittsburgh,  and  by  post 
road,  1 ,203  miles  south-west  Washington.  The  site  of  the  city 
is  on  an  inclined  plane,  the  declivity  falling  very  gently  from 
the  margin  of  the  river.  Hence  when  the  Mississippi  is  in 
full  flood,  the  surface  of  the  water  is  from  one  to  three*  feet 
above  the  streets  of  the  city  ;  but  at  low  water,  it  is  from 
seven  to  nine  feet  below  them.  To  prevent  constant  inun 
dation,  a  levee  or  embankment  fronts  the  city,  similar  to  that 
extending  on  both  sides  of  the  Mississippi,  above  and  below 
New  Orleans;  differing  only  in  breadth  and  solidity.  The  tides 
do  not  reach  here  ;  and  the  rise  of  the  river,  (which  is  a  mile 
in  width  opposite  the  city,)  during  the  highest  floods  is  about 
12  feet  above  low  water  mark. 

The  city  occupies  an  oblong  area,  or  parallelogram,  ex 
tending  3,960  feet  along  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  2,000  feet  towards  the  swamp.  This  is  the  old  city,  or 
New  Orleans,  properly  so  called.  Above  the  city  are  the 
suburbs  called  Fauxburgs.  These  are  St.  Mary,  Delor  An 
nunciation,  Nuns,  Lafayette,  and  Livauday  ;  below  the  city 
are  those  of  Marigny,  Daumois,  Da  Clovet  and  Washington. 
In  the  rear  of  the  city  is  also  another,  but  detached  suburb, 
on  bayou  St.  John. 

No  one  can  observe  the  position  of  New  Orleans,  on  a 
map,  and  not  be  impressed  with  a  conviction  of  the  extraor- 

*  Modern  Traveller. 


442  TRAVELS    AXD    SKETCHES 


NEW    ORLEANS. 


dinary  advantages  which  it  possesses,  as  a  commercial  capi 
tal.  The  boat  navigation  above  it  is  probably  twice  as  great 
as  that  of  any  other  city  on  the  globe.  The  Mississippi, 
with  its  tributaries,  affords  a  navigable  steamboat  commu 
nication  through  a  fertile  country  of  more  than  '^0,000  miles  ; 
numerous  bayous  communicate  with  other  parts  of  the  State  ; 
and  besides  the  natural  channel  of  the  river,  it  has  a  com 
munication  by  sloops  and  other  small  vessels  with  lake  Pon- 
chartrairi,  and  the  connected  lakes  ;  with  the  opposite  Flori 
da  shore,  with  Mobile,  Pensacola,  and  the  whole  gulf  shore, 
east  and  west.  "Not  a  few  vessels,  clear  from  the  basin  for 
the  Atlantic  and  Mexican  ports.  The  basin  is  scarcely  dis 
tant  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  ship  landing  on  the  Missis 
sippi.  A  person  on  the  basin  wharf  can  see  the  masts  of  the 
vessels,  lying  on  the  shore  of  the  levee,  and  yet  a  vessel  sail 
ing  from  the  basin,  would  have  to  sail  through  the  lakes 
along  the  gulf  shore  and  up  the  Mississippi,  some  hundreds 
of  miles,  to  arrive  at  so  little  distance  from  her  former  posi 
tion.  Even  the  commerce  and  shipping  of  the  basin  would 
be  sufficient  for  the  support  of  a  considerable  city.  There 
is  an1  incorporation  to  connect  the  lake  with  the  Mississippi, 
by  a  canal,  directly  from  one  to  the  other.  A  most  nerr-- 
sary  and  important  canal  is  also  contemplated,  for  connect 
ing  Attakapas  with  the  city.  Nature  has  almost  completed 
the  line  of  communication.  At  present  the  bayous  Pla- 
quemine  and  Lafourche,  furnish  that  communication.  Al 
though  steamboats  run  between  Opelonsas  and  Attakapas, 
by  these  routes  and  the  Teche,  yet  the  mouths  of  these  ba 
yous  are  liable  to  be  choked  with  timber,  and  the  navigation 
is  generally  attended  with  some  difficulty,  and  is  moreover 
circuitous.  There  are  so  many  communications  by  water, 
between  New  Orleans  and  the  lower  part  of  Louisiana,  ac 
cessible  by  the  smaller  boats,  that  all  of  them  are  only  known 
to  people  who  have  been  in  habits  for  a  lon^  time  of  ex 
ploring  them  for  the  sake  of  finding  new  and  shorter  routes 
to  their  destination."* 

"  The  wooden  buildings  of  which  the  city  was  formerly 
in  a  great  measure  composed,  have  given  place  to  buildings 
of  brick.  The  city,  properly  so  called,  and  the  Fauxboiirg 
St.  Mary,  are  compactly  and  substantially  built.  In  the 

*  Flint's  History  and  Geography  of  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  443 


NEW    ORLEANS. 


city,  the  French  and  Spanish  styles  of  building  predominate. 
The  houses  are  stuccoed  externally,  and  this  stucco,  of  a 
white  or  yellow  color,  strikes  the  eye  more  pleasantly  than 
the  dull  and  sombre  red  brick.  There  can  be  no  question 
but  the  American  mode  of  building  is  more  commodious, 
solid,  and  durable  ;  but  the  latter  mode  has  the  prefer 
ence,  in  its  general  effect  upon  the  eye.  To  an  American, 
viewing  them  for  the  first  time,  there  is  something  fantastic 
and  unique  in  the  appearance  of  the  city  streets,  which  wears 
a  resemblance  to  European,  French,  and  Spanish  towns, 
rather  than  American.  The  Fauxbourg  St.  Mary,  and  many 
other  parts  of  the  city,  are  built  after  the  American  fashion, 
and  have  nothing  in  their  appearance  different  from  an  At 
lantic  town. 

"The  city  contains  six  complete  squares;  each  square 
having  a  front  of  819  feet  in  length.  Each  square  is  di 
vided  into  12  lots.  Few  of  the  streets,  except  Canal  street, 
are  more  than  40  feet  wide.  The  names  of  the  principal 
streets  are  Levee,  Chartres,  Royal,  Burgundy,  Dauphine, 
Toulouse,  &/c.  The  public  buildings  are  the  Town  House, 
at  the  north-west  corner  of  Chartres  and  St.  Peter's  streets  ; 
the  Hospital,  standing  in  the  suburb  St.  Mary,  opposite  the 
square,  between  Dauphine  and  Burgundy  streets;  the  Cathe 
dral  Church  of  St.  Louis,  in  front  of  Orleans  street,  npon 
Chartres  street ;  the  Convent  of  Ursuline  nuns,  upon  Ursu- 
line  street,  between  Levee  and  Chartres  streets;  the  Bar 
racks,  upon  Garrison  and  Levee  streets;  the  Custom  House, 
in  front  of  the  square,  between  Canal  and  Levee  streets  ; 
the  Market  House,  upon  the  Levee,  in  front  of  the  square, 
between  St.  Anne  and  Du  Maine  streets;  Orleans  Bank, 
upon  Conti,  between  Chartres  and  Royal  streets  ;  Louisiana 
Bank,  upon  Royal,  between  Conti  and  St.  Louis  streets; 
Planter's  Bank,  south-west  corner  of  Conti  and  Royal 
streets;  Government  House,  north-west  corner  of  Levee  and 
Toulouse  streets  ;  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  be 
tween  Du  Maine  and  Philippe  streets  ;  and  the  Water 
Works  of  Levee  street,  in  front  of  the  square,  between  Ur 
suline  and  St.  Philip  streets.  A  very  large  and  splendid 
building  is  fitted  up  for  the  State  Bank.  The  French 
Theatre  is  in  the  city,  and  the  American  in  the  Fauxbourg 
St.  Mary.  The  Presbyterian  Church  is  also  in  this  Faux 
bourg. 

"  The  Cathedral  stands  at  the  head  of  a  spacious  square, 


CATHEDRAL,  NEW  ORLEANS. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  445 


NK\V     ORLEANS. 


400  feet  from  the  river.  The  building  is  of  brick,  extend 
ing  90  feet  on  the  street,  and  120  back  of  it.  The  roof  is 
covered,  as  are  most  of  the  French  and  Spanish  houses, 
with  hollow  tile,  and  is  supported  by  ten  plastered  brick 
columns.  It  has  four  towers,  of  which  one  contains  two 
bells.  It  has  an  organ,  and  is  finished  within  with  great 
massiveness  and  simplicity.  It  is  an  imposing  fabric,  and 
the  interior  seems  calculated  to  excite  religious  feeling. 
Under  its  stone  pavements  are  deposited  the  illustrious  dead. 
In  the  niches  and  recesses  are  the  figures  of  the  saints,  in 
their  appropriate  dress,  and  with  those  pale  and  unearthly 
countenances  which  are  so  much  in  keeping  with  the  com 
mon  ideas  entertained  of  them.  The  walls  are  so  thick, 
that  though  in  the  very  centre  of  business,  you  hear  only  a 
confused  whisper  within,  and  are  almost  as  still  as  in  the 
centre  of  a  forest.  You  go  but  a  few  paces  from  the  crowds 
that  are  pressing  along  Levee  street,  and  from  the  rattle  of 
carriages  that  are  stationed  near  this  place,  arid  you  find 
yourself  in  a  kind  of  vaulted  apartment,  and  in  perfect  still- 
.ness.  The  tapers  are  burning,  and  some  few  are  always 
kneeling  within  in  silent  prayer.  Images  of  death,  of  the 
invisible  world,  and  of  eternity,  surround  you.  The  dead 
sleep  under  your  feet.  You  are  in  the  midst  of  life,  and  yet 
there  reigns  here  a  perpetual  tranquillity.  A  new  Catholic 
church  has  been  recently  erected. 

"  The  Presbyterian  church  is  of  brick,  and  is  a  very  large 
and  handsome  building.  The  Episcopal  church  is  small, 
but  light  and  neat  in  its  structure.  The  Mariner's  church 
was  much  needed,  and  is  a  respectable  building.  The  prison 
and  the  French  theatre  are  very  large,  and  externally  disa 
greeable.  The  American  theatre,  in  the  Fauxbourg  St. 
Mary,  is  a  neat  arid  commodious  building.  The  Charity 
Hospital,  though  not  a  very  beautiful  building,  has  a  moral 
beauty  of  the  highest  order.  It  is  probably  one  of  the  most 
efficient  and  useful  charities  in  the  country.  New  Orleans 
is  exposed  to  greater  varieties  of  human  misery,  vice,  dis 
ease,  and  want,  than  any  other  American  town.  Here 
misery  and  disease  find  a  home,  clean  apartments,  faithful 
nursing,  and  excellent  medical  attendance.  Under  this  roof 
more  miserable  objects  have  been  sheltered,  more  have  been 
dismissed  cured,  and  more  have  been  carried  to  their  Jong 
home,  than  from  any  other  hospital  among  us. 


446  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


NEW    ORLEANS. 


"  The  college  is  a  respectable  building,  and  has  had  am 
ple  endowments  ;  but  has  done  little  as  yet  for  the  literature 
of  the  country.  There  is  a  convent  of  Ursuline  nuns,  who 
receive  day  scholars  and  boarders  for  the  various  branches 
of  rudimental  education.  The  Female  Orphan  Asylum  is  a 
most  interesting  charity,  dating  its  efficient  operations  from 
the  late  Mr.  Poydras.  It  has  commonly  TO  or  80  destitute 
female  children,  under  sober  and  discreet  instructresses,  all 
plainly  and  neatly  clad,  and  constantly  occupied,  either  in 
acquiring  the  rudiments  of  education,  or  of  needle-work. 
They  are  dressed  in  plain  uniforms,  and  worship  part  of  the 
Sabbath  day  in  the  Catholic,  and  part  in  the  Protestant 
church.  An  institution  of  a  similar  character  for  boys,  and 
endowed  also  by  the  benevolent  Poydras,  is  now  in  opera 
tion. 

"  There  are  a  number  of  other  charitable  institutions  in 
this  city,  of  respectable  character  ;  arid  when  the  epidemic, 
yellow  fever,  visits  it,  the  manner  in  which  the  inhabitants 
bestow  charity,  nursing,  shelter,  and  medical  aid  to  the  sick, 
is  worthy  of  all  praise.  A  library,  for  the  use  of  the  poorer 
reading  young  men  of  the  city,  has  been  instituted,  and  in 
the  extent  of  her  efficient  and  useful  charities,  New  Orleans 
is  not  far  behind  her  Atlantic  sisters.  There  are  fewer 
churches  in  the  city,  than  in  any  other  town  of  the  same 
size  in  the  United  States.  There  are  but  three  Catholic 
places  of  worship,  one  Presbyterian,  two  Episcopalian,  a 
Mariner's  church,  a  Baptist,  and  a  Methodist  place  of  wor 
ship.  Very  little  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  as  northern  peo 
ple  estimate  it,  is  seen  in  this  city.  It  is  well  known,  that  the 
forms  of  the  Catholic  worship  do  not  forbid  amusements  on 
the  Sabbath  "* 

When  the  United  States  took  possession  of  New  Orleans 
in  1803,  the  city  contained  1000  houses,  and  8000  inhabitants. 
In  1820  the  population  amounted  to  27,000;  in  1821,  to 
29,000  ;  in  1822,  to  32,000  ;  in  1826,  to  nearly  40,000  ;  in 
1840  to  102,193.  The  population  in  1850  was  116,370. 

Notwithstanding  it  is  more  than  100  miles  from  the  sea, 
the  city  is  considered  a  seaport,  and  "  consuls  from  every 
nation  having  commercial  intercourse  with  it,  reside  there ; 


*  Flint's  Valley  of  the  Mississippi. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  447 


NEW    ORLEANS. 


from  England,  Russia,  Prussia,  Denmark,  Sweden,  Ham 
burgh,  the  Netherlands,  France,  Spain,  Portugal,  Sardinia, 
and  the  South  American  Republics." 

The  population  of  the  city  is,  of  course,  of  the  most  mot 
ley  description,  and  of  every  complexion,  from  the  shades 
of  brown  and  yellow  to  jet  black.  Americans  from  every 
State,  from  Maine  to  Georgia,  form  about  three  eighths  of  the 
population  of  the  city  and  State  ;  and  among  them  are  some 
of  the  wealthiest  families  in  Louisiana.  The  French  are 
still  numerous.  They  include  many  respectable  merchants, 
lawyers,  and  physicians;  but  the  greater  part  are  adventurers, 
who  fill  up  the  humble  professions  of  dancing-master,  mu 
sician,  hair-dresser,  and  the  like.  The  watchmen  and  lamp 
lighters  are  Germans, — the  unhappy  remnant  of  a  numer 
ous  body  of  emigrants,  who  arrived  from  Europe  about 
sixteen  years  ago,  destitute  of  the  smallest  resources,  and  who, 
having  lost  more  than  half  their  comrades  during  the  passage, 
were  sold  as  "  white  slaves,"  or,  as  they  are  called,  "  redemp- 
tioners,"  the  moment  they  landed.  Hundreds  of  these 
people  fell  victims  to  the  yellow  fever  between  1814  and 
1822;  and  their  degrading  habits  of  inebriety  tend  rapidly  to 
thin  their  numbers.  The  fishermen  are  chiefly  Spaniards. 
The  free  colored  people  consist  partly  of  emancipated  slaves; 
but  chiefly  mulattoes,  the  offspring  of  the  dissolute  French 
Creoles. 

Heterogeneous  as  the  population  is,  in  manners,  languages, 
and  principles,  they  all  agree  in  one  point, — the  pursuit  of 
money.  Americans,  English,  French,  Germans,  Spaniards, 
all  come  hither  to  make  money,  and  to  stay  only  as  long  as 
money  is  to  be  made.  The  Yankee  commission  merchants, 
who  reside  here  during  the  winter,  retire  to  the  north  in  the 
month  of  May.  About  half  the  inhabitants  only,  it  is  sup 
posed,  are  regularly  settled  here.  The  better  American  fam 
ilies,  as  soon  as  they  have  amassed  a  fortune,  answering  to 
their  expectations,  prefer  removing  to  the  north.  These  cir 
cumstances  will  explain  why  New  Orleans,  one  of  the  wealth 
iest  cities  in  the  Union,  is  so  far  behind  every  other  in  its 
public  establishments. 

"  During  six  months  of  the  year,  Louisiana  affords  a  de 
lightful  residence.  In  June,  the  heats  become  oppressive  ; 
not  a  breath  of  air  is  to  be  felt  ;  the  mosquitoes  appear  in 
millions  ;  and  nothing  can  be  more  disagreeable  than 
their  buzzing  sound  and  their  painful  sting, — except  that 


448  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

NEW     ORLEANS. 

of  the  millipedes,  which  is  still  more  painful.  In  July,  the 
heat  increases.  August,  September,  and  October  are  dan 
gerous  mouths  in  New  Orleans.  '  A  deep  silence  reigns 
during  this  season  in  the  city.  Most  of  the  stores  are  .-hut 
up  ;  no  one  is  to  be  seen  in  the  streets  during  the  day,  ex 
cept  negroes  and  people  of  color  ;  no  carriage,  except  the 
funeral  hearse.  At  the  approach  of  evening,  the  inhabit 
ants  pour  forth  to  enjoy  the  air  upon  the  /ifj.vr.'  The  yel 
low  fever,  however,  has  not  made  its  appearance  for  sev 
eral  years;  and  it  is  hoped  that  when  the  pestilential  swamps 
behind  the  city  are  drained,  the  city  will  become  not  less 
healthy  than  other  places  in  the  same  latitude.  In  winter, 
the  climate  is  extremely  variable.  In  1^-J,  a  severe  frost 
killed  nearly  all  the  orange  trees.  During  some  winters, 
the  thermometer  has  fallen  to  1(>J  or  15D,  and  the  streets 
have  repeatedly  been  covered  with  snow,  while  the  ponds 
and  bayous  have  been  frozen.  Other  winters  have  been 
as  remarkable  for  their  warmth  ;  and  no  mean  estimate  can 
give  a  correct  idea  of  the  uncertain  and  varying  tempera 
ture." 

"  Much  has  been  said  abroad,"  remarks  the  author  of  the 
"Valley  of  the  Mississippi,"  "  in  regard  to  the  unhealthiness 
of  this  city,  and  the  danger  of  a  residence  here  for  an  unac- 
climated  person  has  be$n  exaggerated  This  circumstance, 
more  than  all  others,  has  retarded  the  increase  of  the  city. 
Unhappily,  when  the  dogstar  is  in  the  sky,  there  is  but  too 
much  probability,  that  the  epidemic  will  sweep  the  place 
with  the  besom  of  destruction.  Hundreds  of  unacclim.ited 
poor  from  the  north,  and  more  than  all,  from  Ireland,  tall 
victims  to  it. 

"  The  supply  of  the  excellent  water  of  the  Mississippi, 
by  the  waterworks  now  in  operation,  is  very  inadequate.  It 
is  contemplated  to  extend  the  means  of  supply.  No  city  in 
the  Union  can  be  furnished  more  cheaply  and  easily.  Were 
the  supply  equal  to  washing  the  streets  in  every  direction,  it 
would  tend  more  to  the  preservation  of  the  public  health,  in 
all  probability,  than  any  other  conservative  means  that  could 
be  employed  ;  and  it  is  a  matter  of  surprise,  that  such  a  sim 
ple  and  obvious  measure  has  not  already  been  adopted.  It 
is  believed,  that  every  street,  which  h  is  the  least  inclination 
of  descent,  might  be  kept  clean  by  the  healthy  water  of  the 
Mississippi,  at  a  less  expense  than  is  requisite  for  watering 
Cincinnati.  Very  great  improvements  have  been  recently 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  449 


NKW     ORLEANS. 


made,  and  are  constantly  making,  in  paving  the  city,  in  re 
moving  the  wooden  sewers,  and  replacing  them  by  those  of 
stone.  The  low  places,  where  the  water  used  to  stagnate,  are 
drained  or  filled  up.  Tracts  of  swamp  about  the  town  are 
draining,  or  filling  up;  and  this  work,  constantly  pursued, 
will,  probably,  contribute  more  to  the  salubrity  of  the  city, 
than  all  the  other  efforts  to  this  end  united. 

"  The  commerce  of  this  city  is  immense,  and  constantly 
increasing.  There  have  been  counted  in  the  harbor,  1,500 
flat  boats  at  a  time.  Steamboats  are  corning  and  departing 
every  hour  ;  and  it  is  not  uncommon  to  see  50  lying  in  the 
harbor  at  a  time.  A  forest  of  masts  is  constantly  seen 
along  the  levee,  except  in  the  sultry  months.  There  are 
often  5,000  or  6,000  boatmen  from  the  upper  country  here  ; 
and  it  is  not  uncommon  to  see  40  vessels  advertised  for 
Liverpool  and  Havre.  No  place  in  the  United  States  has 
so  much  activity  and  bustle  of  commerce  crowded  into  so 
small  a  space,  in  the  months  of  February  and  March.  During 
the  season  of  bringing  in  the  cotton  crop,  whole  streets 
are  barricaded  with  cotton  bales.  The  amount  of  domes 
tic  exports  from  this  city  exceeds  forty  millions  of  dol 
lars  a  year,  being  greater  than  that  of  any  other  city  of  the 
Union,  except  New  York,  and  nearly  equalling  that.  The 
greatest  items  that  make  this  amount,  are  sugar  and  cot 
ton. 

"  It  is  believed,  that  it  will  not  be  long  before  the  great  and 
opulent  city  of  New  Orleans  will  commence,  on  a  scale  com 
mensurate  with  her  resources  and  enterprise,  a  system  of  re 
claiming  the  immense  swamps,  in  the  midst  of  which  she  is 
'placed,  by  navigable  canals. 

"The  facilities  of  getting  a  passage  from  this  city  either 
to  Europe,  Mexico,  the  Atlantic  cities,  or  the  interior,  are 
very  great.  You  need  seldom  remain  many  days,  without 
an  opportunity  to  embark  in  any  direction.  Steamboats 
are  constantly  advertising  for  Louisville,  and  all  the  different 
points  on  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  :  and  a 
passage  in  the  beautiful  steamboats  that  now  ply  on  these 
waters,  is  both  rapid,  cheap,  and  delightful. 

"The  market  is  ordinarily  cheap  and  abundant  ;  and  by 
seizing  opportunities,  the  articles  of  life  may  be  had  as  cheap 
as  in  any  other  town  in  the  United  States.  Corn,  potatoes, 
pork,  and  flour,  are  sometimes  so  low,  as  scarcely  to  pay  the 
cost  of  transportation  from  the  upper  country.  The  produc- 

29 


450  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


NEW    ORLEANS. 


lions  of  all  climes  find  their  way  hither  ;  and  for  fruits  and 
vegetables,  few  places  can  exceed  it.  On  a  pleasant  March 
morning,  perhaps  half  of  the  city  is  seen  in  the  market.  The 
crowd  covers  half  a  mile  in  extent.  The  negroes,  mulattoes, 
French,  Spanish,  and  Germans,  are  all  crying  their  several 
articles  in  their  several  tongues.  In  the  midst  of  a  confusion 
of  languages,  like  that  of  Babel,  *  unpicalion,  un  p icalion,'  is 
the  most  distinguishable. 

"  This  city  necessarily  exercises  a  great  moral  influence 
over  all  the  westera  country.  There  is  no  distinguished 
merchant,  planter,  or  farmer,  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  but 
what  has  made  at  least  one  trip  to  this  place.  Here  they 
witness  acting  at  the  French  and  American  theatres.  Here 
they  go  to  inspect,  if  not  to  take  part  in  the  pursuits  of  the 
4  roulette,  and  temple  of  fortune,'  Here  they  come  from 
the  remote  and  isolated  parts  of  the  west,  to  see  the  '  city 
lions/  and  learn  the  ways  of  men  in  great  towns  ;  and 
they  necessarily  carry  back  an  impression,  from  what  they 
have  seen  and  heard.  It  is  of  conceivable  importance  to 
the  western  country,  that  New  Orleans  should  be  enlight 
ened,  moral,  and  religious.  It  has  a  numerous  and  respect 
able  corps  of  professional  men,  and  issues  a  considerable 
number  of  well-edited  papers. 

"  The  police  of  the  city  is  at  once  mild  and  energetic. 
Notwithstanding  the  multifarious  character  of  the  people, 
collected  from  every  country  and  climate  ;  notwithstanding 
the  multitude  of  boatmen  and  sailors ;  notwithstanding  the 
mass  of  people  that  rush  along  its  streets  is  of  the  most 
incongruous  materials,  there  are  fewer  broils  and  quarrels 
here,  than  in  almost  any  other  city.  The  municipal  and 
criminal  courts  are  prompt  in  administering  justice  ;  and 
larcenies  and  broils  are  effectually  punished  without  any 
just  grounds  of  the  *  law's  delay.3  On  the  whole,  the 
morals  of  those  people,  who  profess  to  have  any  degree  of 
self-respect,  arc  not  behind  those  of  the  other  cities  of  the 
Union."* 

From  New  Orleans  to  the  Balize  or  mouth  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  is  about  100  miles,  as  already  stated.  Here  a 
great  number  of  pilots  are  stationed.  From  this  wretched 
place,  i.  e.  their  stations,  says  Captain  Basil  Hall,  planted  in 

*  Flint. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  451 


NEW    ORLEANS. 


the  midst  of  a  boundless  swamp,  no  firm  land  is  in  sight, 
nor  is  there  any  within  50  or  60  miles  of  it.  There  are 
about  twenty  buildings,  six  of  them  dwelling-houses,  be 
tween  which  the  intercourse  is  carried  on  exclusively  by 
means  of  rude  log  causeys  or  bridges  laid  over  the  slime  and 
water.  It  is  impossible  to  walk  ten  yards  in  any  direction, 
without  sinking  up  to  the  neck  in  a  mudhole  or  quicksand  ; 
so  that,  for  all  the  purposes  of  locomotion,  the  inhabitants 
might  as  well  be  at  sea.  In  the  middle  of  this  half 
drowned  village,  there  stands  "  a  rickety  look-out  house," 
from  the  top  of  which  an  extensive  view  is  commanded, 
indescribably  dreary,  yet  not  without  interest.  "  We  could 
discover,"  says  this  traveller,  "several  of  the  passes,  (or  out 
lets,)  and  great  numbers  of  bayous,  or  natural  canals,  creep 
ing  among  the  marshes  slowly  to  the  sea,  which  occupied 
about  one  third  of  the  horizon  on  the  south.  On  the 
east  and  west,  the  marshes  extended  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  bristling  with  roots,  trunks,  and  branches  of  trees. 
In  the  spring,  when  the  freshes  or  floods  come  down, 
they  bring  along  with  them  millions  of  trunks  of  trees, 
technically  called  logs,  (owing  to  the  falling  in  of  the  river 
banks.) 

"  In  February  and  the  beginning  of  March,  the  quantity 
of  these  logs  is  so  great,  that  not  only  the  river  itself,  but 
the  sea  for  several  miles  off  is  completely  coated  over  with 
them,  and  it  requires  some  skill  in  the  pilot  to  get  through. 
The  whole  ground  (if  the  loose,  muddy  soil  can  be  so 
called)  appeared  to  be  formed  of  layers  of  these  logs  matted 
together  into  a  net-work,  or  rather  a  gigantic  raft  of  rough 
timbers,  many  yards,  and  perhaps  fathoms,  in  depth,  over 
hundreds  of  square  leagues.  These  enormous  rafts,  which 
settle  on  the  mud  as  the  waters  subside,  are  cemented  to 
gether  by  fresh  deposits.  In  a  short  time  a  rank  sort  of 
cane  or  reed  springs  up,  which  helps  to  keep  them  together. 
This  is  called  a  cane-brake ;  a  wild,  hopeless-looking,  im 
passable  marsh.  These  reeds,  by  retarding  the  flow  of  the 
river,  collect  the  mud  of  the  next  season,  arid  by  the  pro 
cess  of  their  own  decay,  lend  their  share  to  form  the  alluvial 
soil  of  the  Delta.  Fresh  logs,  and  fresh  mud,  and  new 
crops  of  cane,  go  on  forming  for  a  certain  course  of  years. 
At  length  a  stunted  shrub  takes  root,  and  grows  up  in  these, 
slushy  territories,  the  empire  of  the  alligators,  who  delight 
to  flounder  about  in  the  creeks  of  bayous,  which  cut  across 


452  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


NEW     ORI.KANS. 


the  Delta  in  every  direction.  When  these  trees  grow  up, 
they  collect  more  soil  about  them,  and  land  somewhat  firmer 
is  concocted,  as  we  advance  from  the  region  of  swamps  to 
that  of  marshes.  The  intruder,  man,  now  begins  his  opera 
tions,  by  banking  out  the  stream,  and  taking  the  further 
management  of  the  soil  into  his  own  hands.  The  fertility 
of  such  spots  exceeds  that  of  any  other  part  of  the  world. 
Of  course,  all  the  seashores  or  skirts  of  the  Delta  are  unin 
habited,  and  must  for  a  long  time  continue  in  a  state  of  use 
less  marshes,  till  fresh  deposits  raise  the  level  a  few  feet  more. 
The  lowest1  sugar  plantation  on  the  Mississippi,  that  I  saw, 
was  40  miles  below  New  Orleans,  or  about  (JO  miles  from 
the  sea.  And  1  should  imagine  that  a  belt  of  uninhabitable 
marsh,  from  50  to  100  miles  in  width,  fringes  the  whole  of 
that  part  of  the  coast."* 

In  his  subsequent  voyage  up  the  Mississippi,  when  be 
tween  50  and  GO  miles  above  New  Orleans,  this  Traveller 
had  the  satisfaction  of  witnessing  one  of  those  formidable 
breaches  in  the  Levee,  or  embankment,  which  are  called  cre- 
vasscs.\  "  The  river  was  tumbling  through  the  opening 
with  a  head  or  fall  of  four  or  five  feet,  in  a  tumultuous 
manner,  resembling  one  of  the  St.  Lawrence  rapids.  This 
boiling,  or  rather  surf-like  appearance — for  it  rose  and  fell 
in  snow-white  ridges  or  short  waves — did  not  spread  itself 
far  to  the  right  or  left,  (which  at  first  surprised  me,)  but 
gushed  nearly  at  right  angles  to  the  parent  river,  straight  for 
ward,  across  the  cultivated  fields  into  the  forest  growing  in 
the  boundless  morass  lying  beyond  the  cleared  strips  of  land. 
There  was  something  peculiarly  striking  in  this  casual 
stream, — a  mere  drop  from  the  great  Mississippi,  which  in 
many  oilier  countries  might  almost  have  claimed  the  name 
of  a  river, — leaping,  and  writhing,  and  foaming  along,  with 
a  sound  exactly  like  that  of  breakers  on  a  reef,  through  the 
middle  of  a  village,  among  trees,  over  the  tops  of  sugar  plan 
tations,  and  at  last  losing  itself  in  a  great  cypress  swamp. 

"  The  Levee  or  embankment  was  completely  carried  away 

*  Basil  Hall's  Travels. 

t  Many  crrratsrs  are  believed  to  have  been  caused  by  the  holes  of 
water  rats  ;  for  the  soil  is  so  loose,  tint  if  the  water  once  gets  vent,  so 
as  to  dribble  through  the  smallest  pipe,  it  is  impossible  to  say  of  what 
magnitude  the  opening  may  become  before  morning. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  453 


NEW  ORLEANS. 


at  this  place,  for  a  distance  of  100  or  perhaps  150  yards.  I 
could  not  help  being  surprised,  indeed,  that  any  portion  of 
these  frail  barriers  ever  stood  at  all,  for  they  seemed  generally 
not  more  than  two  or  three  feet  wide  at  top,  and  ten  or 
twelve  at  the  base  ;  and  altogether  so  slender  in  appearance, 
that  I  expected  every  minute  to  see  fresh  crevasses  formed. 
Inuring  the  greater  part  of  that  day,  the  surface  of  the  water 
along  which  we  were  moving,  could  not  be  less  than  six  or 
eight  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ground  on  both  sides.  The 
district  of  country  which  lies  adjacent  to  the  Mississippi,  in 
the  lower  parts  of  Louisiana,  is  every  where  thickly  peopled 
by  sugar  planters,  whose  showy  houses,  gay  piazzas,  thrifty 
gardens,  and  numerous  slave  villages,  all  clean  and  neat, 
gave  an  exceedingly  thriving  air  to  the  river  scenery." 

During  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain,  New  Orleans  was 
the  scene  of  a  battle  between  the  Americans  and  British, 
which  for  its  signal  triumph  on  the  one  hand,  and  signal 
defeat  on  the  other,  has  rarely  been  equalled.  It  was  unfor 
tunately  fought  after  the  preliminaries  of  a  treaty  had  been 
signed  at  Ghent ;  but  the  tidings  of  this  mutual  adjustment 
of  difficulties,  which  would  have  prevented  such  carnage, 
and  saved  many  a  gallant  officer  arid  veteran  soldier,  had 
not  reached  the  country.  The  above  treaty  was  signed  Dec. 
24th,  1814, — the  battle  was  fought  on  the  8th  of  January, 
1815. 

Sometime  previously  the  British  had  evidently  been  turn 
ing  their  attention  towards  New  Orleans.  Having  intima 
tion  of  their  design,  Gen.  Jackson,  then  commanding  in 
that  vicinity,  marched  his  troops  upon  New  Orleans,  where 
he  arrived  on  the  2d  of  December.  Having  reviewed  a 
corps  of  volunteers,  the  day  of  his  arrival,  he  immediately 
proceeded  to  visit  every  post  in  the  neighborhood,  to  give 
orders  for  adding  fortifications,  and  establishing  defensive 
works  and  outposts,  in  every  spot  where  the  enemy  migkt 
be  expected,  as  there  was  the  greatest  uncertainty  where  a 
landing  would  be  made  :  he  mingled  with  the  citizens  and 
infused  into  the  greater  part  his  own  spirit  and  energy.  By 
his  presence  and  exhortations,  they  were  animated  to  exer 
tions  of  which  before  they  were  not  supposed  to  be  capable. 
All  who  could  wield  a  spade,  or  carry  a  musket,  were  either 
put  to  work  upon  the  fortifications,  or  trained  in  the  art  of 
defending  them.  The  Mississippi,  upon  the  eastern  bank  of 


454 


TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


NEW   ORLKANS. 


which  New  Orleans  stands,  flows  to  the  ocean  in  several 
channels  ;  one  leaving  the  main  stream  above  the  city,  runs 
east  of  it,  and  forms  in  its  course  Lake  Ponchartrain,  and 
lake  Borgne.  Early  in  December,  the  British  entered  this 
channel  with  a  force  of  about  eight  thousand  men,  a  part  of 
whom  had  just  left  the  shores  of  the  Chesapeake,  the  remain 
der  having  arrived  direct  from  England.  A  small  squadyn 
of  gun-boats,  under  Lieutenant  Jones,  was  despatched  to  op 
pose  their  passage  into  the  lake.  These  were  met  by  a  su 
perior  force,  and  after  a  spirited  conflict,  in  which  the  killed 
and  wounded  of  the  British  exceeded  the  whole  number  of 
the  Americans,  they  were  compelled  to  surrender.  The  loss 
of  the  gun-boats  left  no  means  of  watching  the  movements 
of  the  enemy,  or  of  ascertaining  where  the  landing  would 
be  made.  Orders  were  given  for  increased  vigilance  at 
every  post ;  the  people  of  color  were  formed  into  a  battal 
ion  ;  the  offer  of  the  Barratarians  to  volunteer,  on  condition 
of  a  pardon  for  previous  offences,  if  they  conducted  them 
selves  with  bravery  and  fidelity,  was  accepted.  Gen.  Jack 
son,  after  applying  to  the  legislature  to  suspend  the  act  of 
habeas  corpus,  and  finding  that  they  were  consuming  these 
extreme  moments  in  discussion,  proclaimed  martial  law,  and 
from  that  moment  his  means  became  more  commensurate 
with  the  weight  of  responsibility  he  had  to  sustain. 

On  the  22d,  the  British  having  landed,  took  a  position 
near  the  main  channel  of  the  river,  about  eight  miles  below 
the  city.  In  the  evening  of  the  23d,  General  Jackson  made 
a  sudden  and  furious  attack  upon  the  camp.  They  were 
thrown  into  disorder  ;  but  they  soon  rallied,  and  fought  with 
a  bravery,  at  least  equal  to  that  of  the  assailants.  Satisfied 
with  the  advantage  first  gained,  he  withdrew  his  troops,  for 
tified  a  strong  position  four  miles  below  New  Orleans,  and 
supported  it  by  batteries  erected  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
river.  On  the  28th  of  December,  and  the  1st  of  January, 
vigorous  but  unsuccessful  attacks  were  made  upon  these  for 
tifications  by  the  English.  In  the  mean  time,  both  armies  had 
received  re-inforcements;  and  General  Sir  E.  Packenham, 
the  British  commander,  resolved  to  exert  all  his  strength  in  a 
combined  attack  upon  the  American  positions,  on  both  sides 
of  the  river.  With  almost  incredible  industry,  he  caused  a 
canal,  leading  from  a  creek  emptying  itself  into  lake  Borgne 
to  the  main  channel  of  the  Mississippi,  to  be  dug,  that  he 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  455 

NEW  ORLEANS. 

might  remove  a  part  of  his  boats  and  artillery  to  that  river. 
On  the  7th  of  January,  from  the  movements  observed  in  the 
British  camp,  a  speedy  attack  was  anticipated.  This  was 
made  early  on  the  8th.  The  British  troops,  formed  in  a 
close  column  of  about  sixty  men  in  front,  the  men  shoulder 
ing  their  muskets,  all  carrying  fascines,  and  some  with  lad 
ders,  advanced  towards  the  American  fortifications,  from 
whence  an  incessant  fire  was  kept  up  on  the  column,  which 
continued  to  advance,  until  the  musketry  of  the  troops  of 
Tennessee  and  Kentucky,  joined  with  the  fire  of  the  artillery, 
began  to  make  an  impression  on  it,  which  soon  threw  it  into 
confusion.  For  some  time,  the  British  officers  succeeded  in 
animating  the  courage  of  their  troops,  making  them  advance 
obliquely  to  the  left,  to  avoid  the  fire  of  a  battery,  every  dis 
charge  from  which  opened  the  column,  and  mowed  down 
whole  files,  which  were  almost  instantaneously  replaced  by 
new  troops  coming  up  close  after  the  first ;  but  these  also 
shared  the  same  fate,  until  at  last,  after  twenty-five  minutes' 
continued  firing,  through  which  a  few  platoons  advanced  to 
the  edge  of  the  ditch,  the  column  entirely  broke,  and  part 
of  the  troops  dispersed, and  ran  to  take  shelter  among  the 
bushes  on  the  right. 

The  rest  retired  to  the  ditch,  where  they  had  been  when 
first  perceived,  four  hundred  yards  from  the  American  lines. 
There  the  officers  with  some  difficulty  rallied  their  troops, 
and  again  drew  them  up  for  a  second  attack,  the  soldiers 
having  laid  down  their  knapsacks  at  the  edge  of  the  ditch, 
that  they  might  be  less  encumbered.  And  now,  for  the  sec 
ond  time,  the  column,  recruited  with  the  troops  that  formed 
the  rear,  advanced.  Again  it  was  received  with  the  same 
galling  fire  from  the  musketry  and  artillery,  till  it  at  last 
broke  again,  and  retired  in  the  utmost  confusion.  In  vain 
did  the  officers  now  endeavor,  as  before,  to  revive  the  cour 
age  of  their  men ;  to  no  purpose  did  they  strike  them  with 
the  flat  of  their  swords,  to  force  them  to  advance  :  they 
were  insensible  of  every  thing  but  danger,  and  saw  nothing 
but  death,  which  had  struck  so  many  of  their  comrades.  The 
attack  had  hardly  begun,  when  the  British  commander  in 
chief,  Sir  Edward  Packenham,  fell  a  victim  to  his  own  in 
trepidity,  while  endeavoring  to  animate  his  troops  with  ardor 
for  the  assault.  Soon  after  his  fall,  two  other  generals,  Keane 
and  Gibbs,  were  carried  off  the  field  of  battle,  dangerously 


456  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 


NEW  ORLKANS. 


wounded.  A  great  number  of  officers  of  rank  had  fallen  : 
the  ground  over  which  the  column  had  marched  was  strewed 
with  the  dead  and  wounded.  Such  slaughter  on  their  side, 
with  scarcely  any  loss  on  the  American,  spread  consterna 
tion  through  the  British  ranks,  as  they  were  now  convinced 
of  the  impossibility  of  carrying  the  lines,  and  saw  that  even 
to  advance  was  certain  death.  Some  of  the  British  troops 
had  penetrated  into  the  wood  toward  the  extremity  of  the 
American  line,  to  make  a  false  attack,  or  to  ascertain  wheth 
er  a  real  one  were  practicable.  These,  the  troops  under  Gen 
eral  Coffee  had  no  sooner  perceived,  than  they  opened  on 
them  a  brisk  fire  with  their  rifles,  which  made  them  retire. 
The  greater  part  of  those  who,  on  the  columns  being  re 
pulsed,  had  taken  shelter  in  the  thickets,  only  escaped  the  bat 
teries  to  be  killed  by  the  musketry.  During  the  whole  hour 
that  the  attack  lasted,  the  American  fire  did  not  slacken  for 
a  single  moment.  By  half  after  eight  in  the  morning,  the 
fire  of  the  musketry  had  ceased.  The  whole  plain  on  the 
left,  as  also  the  side  of  the  river,  from  the  road  to  the  edge 
of  the  water,  was  covered  with  the  British  soldiers  who  had 
fallen.  About  four  hundred  wounded  prisoners  were  taken, 
and  at  least  double  that  number  of  wounded  men  escaped 
into  the  British  camp  ;  and  a  space  of  ground  extending 
from  the  ditch  of  the  American  lines  to  that  on  which  the 
enemy  drew  up  his  troops,  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  in 
length,  by  about  two  hundred  in  breadth,  was  literally  cov 
ered  with  men,  either  dead  or  severely  wounded.  Perhaps  a 
greater  disparity  of  loss  never  occurred  ;  that  of  the  British,  in 
killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  in  this  attack,  which  was  not 
made  with  sufficient  judgment,  and  which,  besides,  was  em 
barrassed  by  unforeseen  circumstances,  was  upwards  of  two 
thousand  men  ;  the  killed  and  wounded  of  the  Americans 
was  only  thirteen  ! 

The  events  of  the  day  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  pre 
sents  a  striking  instance  of  the  uncertainty  of  military  cal 
culations.  There  the  Americans  were  thrice  the  number  of 
their  assailants,  and  were  protected  by  intrenchments  ;  but 
they  ingloriously  fled.  They  were  closely  pursued,  until  the 
British  party  received  intelligence  of  the  defeat  of  the  main 
army,  withdrew  from  pursuit,  and  re-crossed  the  river. — 
They  then  returned  and  re-assumed  possession  of  their  in- 


458  TRAVELS  AND    SKETCHES 


NEW  ORLEANS. 


trenchments.  General  Lambert,  upon  whom  the  command 
of  the  British  army  had  devolved,  having  lost  all  hopes  of 
success,  repaired  to  his  shipping.  In  his  retreat  he  was 
not  molested ;  General  Jackson  wisely  resolv  ing  to  haz 
ard  nothing  that  he  had  gained  in  attempting  to  gain  still 
more.* 

"Hinton's  United  States. 


TENNESSEE. 


NASHVILLE. 

NASHVILLE,  the  capital  of  the  state  of  Tennessee,  and  the 
most  important  town  in  the  commonwealth,  is  pleasantly  situated 
on  the  south  side  of  Cumberland  river,  and  at  the  head  of 
steamboat  navigation.  The  site  of  the '  town  consists  of  an 
entire  rock,  covered  in  some  places  by  a  thin  soil,  and  elevated 
from  fifty  to  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  above  the  river. 
During  the  hottest  part  of  the  summer,  Nashville,  owing  to  its 
healthy  location,  is  the  resort  of  numbers  from  the  lower 
country.  The  picturesque  scenery  of  the  neighbourhood  is 
also  an  attraction  to  many  persons.  The  town  contains  nume 
rous  handsome  buildings,  public  and  private,  and  a  population 
of  10,478  souls.  Several  steamboats  of  the  first  class  are 
owned  here,  and  ply  at  regular  intervals  between  Nashville  and 
Cincinnati  and  other  places.  A  railroad  is  in  progress  of  con 
struction  from  Nashville  to  Chattanooga,  a  distance  of  150 
miles,  being  a  continuation  of  the  lines  extending  from  the  sea 
board  at  two  points — Charleston  and  Savannah — and  running 
through  the  states  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia.  On  its 
completion,  the  trade  of  this  already  flourishing  town  will  be 
considerably  increased. 


KNOXVILLE. 

This  city  is  situated  at  the  head  of  steamboat  navigation,  on 
the  north  side  of  Holston  river,  a  branch  of  Tennessee  river. 
It  is  regularly  laid  out,  and  contains  about  2,000  inhabitants. 
Numerous  mills  and  manufacturing  establishments  give  a 
bustling  aspect  to  the  place.  Knoxville  is  the  largest  town  in 
East  Tennessee. 


459 


KENTUCKY. 


LEXINGTON. 

LEXINGTON  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlements  in  Ken 
tucky  ;  in  1785,  it  had  assumed  the  appearance  of  a  village, 
but  its  early  growth  was  much  impeded  by  Indian  warfare,  so 
that  in  1805,  it  contained  but  50  houses,  and  about  350  in 
habitants.  Its  name  was  given  to  it  by  some  hunters,  who  were 
encamping  on  the  spot  on  which  the  city  now  stands,  when 
the  news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington  was  brought  to  them, 
upon  which  they  immediately  decided  to  give  it  the  name  of 
that  place,  where  the  struggle  for  American  liberty  first 
commenced. 

The  town  buildings,  in  general,  are  handsome,  and  some 
of  them  are  magnificent.  Few  towns  in  the  West,  or  else 
where,  are  more  delightfully  situated.  Its  environs  have  a 
singular  softness  and  amenity  of  landscape,  and  the  town 
wears  an  air  of  neatness,  opulence,  and  repose,  indicating 
leisure  and  studiousness,  rather  than  the  bustle  of  business 
and  commerce.  It  is  situated  in  the  centre  of  a  proverbially 
rich  and  populous  country.  The  frequency  of  handsome 
villas  and  ornamented  rural  mansions  imparts  the  impression 
of  vicinity  to  an  opulent  metropolis.  A  beautiful  branch  of 
the  Elkhorn  runs  through  the  city,  and  supplies  it  with  water. 
The  main  street  is  a  mile  and  a  quarter  in  length,  and  80 
feet  wide,  well  paved  ;  and  the  principal  roads  leading  from 
it  to  the  country  are  McAdarnized  to  some  distance.  In  the 
centre  of  the  town  is  the  public  square,  surrounded  by  hand 
some  buildings.  In  this  square  is  the  market  house,  which 
is  amply  supplied  with  all  the  products  of  the  State.  The 
inhabitants  are  cheerful,  intelligent,  conversable,  and  noted 
for  their  hospitality  to  strangers.  The  professional  men  are 
distinguished  for  their  attainments  in  their  several  walks, 
and  many  distinguished  and  eminent  men  have  had  their 


462  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


LOUISVILLE. 


origin  here.  The  University,  with  its  professors,  and  stu 
dents,  and  the  numerous  distinguished  strangers  that  are  vis 
iting  here,  during  the  summer  months,  add  to  the  attractions 
of  the  city.  The  people  are  addicted  to  giving  parties  ;  and 
the  tone  of  society  is  fashionable  and  pleasant.  Strangers, 
in  general,  are  much  pleased  with  a  temporary  sojourn  in 
this  city,  which  conveys  high  ideas  of  the  refinement  and 
taste  of  the  country.  There  are  now  much  larger  towns  in 
the  West ;  but  none  presenting  more  beauty  and  intelligence. 
The  stranger,  on  finding  himself  in  the  midst  of  its  polished 
and  interesting  society,  cannot  but  be  carried  back  by  the 
strong  contrast,  to  the  time,  when  the  patriarchal  hunters  of 
Kentucky,  reclining  on  their  buffalo  robes  around  their  even 
ing  fires,  canopied  by  the  lofty  trees  aYfcl  the  stars,  gave  it 
the  name  it  bears,  by  patriotic  acclamation.* 

The  Transylvania  University  is  located  in  Lexington,  and 
enjoys  a  high  reputation  among  the  collegiate  institutions  of 
the  West.  It  was  founded  in  1798,  and  re-organized  in 
1818.  The  buildings  are  on  an  eminence  contiguous  to  the 
town,  and  generally  commodious.  The  several  libraries  at 
tached  to  the  Institution  contain  14,000  volumes.  There 
are  several  schools  in  the  city,  which  are  in  deservedly  high 
reputation. 

The  other  public  edifices  are,  a  handsome  and  spacious 
Court  House,  a  large  Masonic  Hall,  and  eleven  churches, 
in  which  all  the  denominations  of  Christianity  are  rep 
resented.  The  State  Lunatic  Asylum  is  a  spacious  and 
very  commodious  building.  The  population,  in  1843,  was 
7,500.  In  1850  it  was  over  10,000. 


LOUISVILLE. 

This  place  began  to  be  settled  in  1778,  at  which  time, 
and  for  a  few  subsequent  years,  it  was  constantly  harassed 
by  the  Indians.  In  1780,  it  was  made  a  town  by  an  act  of 

*  Flint's  Geography. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  463 


LOUISVILLE. 


the  Virginia  legislature,  it  being  then  a  part  of  that  State. 
In  the  following  year,  a  fort  was  built  and  garrisoned,  and  a 
check  given  to  Indian  depredations. 

In  a  commercial  point  of  view,  Louisville  is  far  the  most 
important  town  in  the  State.  The  main  street  is  nearly  a 
mile  in  length,  and  is  as  noble,  as  compact,  and  has  as  much 
the  air  of  a  maritime  town,  as  any  street  in  the  western 
country.  It  is  situated  on  an  extensive  sloping  plain,  be 
low  the  mouth  of  the  Beargrass,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
above  the  principal  declivity  of  the  falls.  The  three  prin 
cipal  streets  are  parallel  with  the  river,  and  command  fine 
views  of  the  villages  and  the  beautiful  country  on  the  op 
posite  shore. 

The  public  buildings  are  a  court  house,  jail,  poorhouse, 
and  workhouse,  powder  magazine,  marine  hospital,  city 
schoolhouse,  twenty-five  churches  for  the  prevalent  denomina 
tions  of  the  country,  Washington  Hall,  Columbian  Inn,  and 
several  other  respectable  hotels;  a  City  Hall,  five  banking- 
houses,  and  a  theatre.  In  addition  to  these,  might  be  enume 
rated  the  Jefferson  Cotton  Factory,  an  iron  foundry,  several 
steam-mills,  fire  and  marine  insurance  company  offices,  &c. 

The  Marine  Hospital  is  a  conspicuous  and  showy  building. 
The  free  Public  School  House  is  a  noble  edifice,  taking  into 
view  its  object.  It  was  commenced  in  1829,  as  a  kind  of 
model  school  for  a  general  system  of  free  schools  ;  and  was 
built  at  an  expense  of  7,500  dollars.  It  is  intended  to  ac 
commodate  700  or  800  pupils. 

The  position  of  this  city  is  38°  18'  north,  and  5°  42'  west 
from  Washington.  It  contained  in  1800,  600  inhabitants ; 
in  1810,  1,350;  1820,  4,012;  1830,  10,336;  and  by  the 
census  of  1840,  21,210.  In  1850  it  was  43,195. 

The  greatest  fall  in  the  Ohio  is  just  below  this  city.  In 
high  stages  of  water,  the  rocks  and  shallows  are  all  covered, 
and  boats  pass  without  perceiving  them.  But  this  stage  of 
water  does  not  occur,  on  an  average,  more  than  two  months 
in  a  year,  rendering  it  necessary  at  all  other  times,  that  boats 
from  the  lower  country  should  stop  here.  The  falls  equally 
arrested  boats  from  above.  Consequently  freights  intended 
for  the  country  above  were  required,  at  a  great  expense  of 
time,  delay,  and  factorage,  to  be  unloaded,  transported  by 
land  round  the  falls,  and  reloaded  in  boats  above.  Large 
steamboats  from  New  Orleans,  though  belonging  to  the 


464  THAVKI.S    AND    SK  I'.TCII  KS 

LOUISVILLE. 


upper  country,  were  obliged  to  lie  by  through  the  summer 
at  Portland. 

To  remedy  these  inconveniences,  the  Louisville  and  Port- 
laud  canal  round  the  falls  has  been  completed.  It  ovrr- 
comes  the  ascent  of  twenty-two  feet  by  five  locks.  The  first 
steamboat  that  passed  through  the  canal  was  the  Uncas, 
December  21,  1^!>. 

It  is  two  miles  in  length,  and  the  excavation  40  feet  in 
depth.  A  part  of  this  depth  is  cut  from  solid  limestone. 
It  is  on  a  scale  to  admit  steamboats  and  vessels  of  the  largest 
size.  From  the  nature  of  the  country,  and  the  great  differ 
ence  between  the  highest  and  lowest  stage  of  the  work, 
amounting  to  nearly  sixty  feet,  it  is  necessarily  a  work  of 
great  magnitude,  having  cost  more  than  any  other  similar 
extent  of  canal  work  in  the  United  States.  There  are  vari 
ous  opinions,  in  reference  to  the  bearings  of  this  work  upon 
the  future  prosperity  of  Louisville.  Great  part  of  the  im 
portant  and  lucrative  business  of  factorage  will  be  super 
seded  ;  and  as  boats  can  ascend  from  Louisville  to  Cincin 
nati,  with  at  least  as  great  a  draft  of  water  as  is  allowed  by 
the  depth  of  the  water  from  Louisville  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Ohio,  most  of  the  bonts  from  the  Mississippi,  that  used  to  be 
arrested  at  the  falls,  will  pass  on  to  the  country  above.  But 
other  bearings  of  utility  to  this  place,  not  yet  contemplated, 
will  probably  grow  out  of  the  increased  activity,  given  by 
the  canal,  to  business  and  commerce.  No  axiom  is  better 
established  than  that  every  part  of  the  country,  so  connect 
ed  as  the  whole  coast  of  the  Ohio,  flourishes  and  increases 
with  every  other  part.  If  the  country  above  and  below  be 
flourisning,  so  also  will  be  Louisville.  Besides,  this  important 
town  has  intrinsic  resources,  which  will  not  fail  to  make  it  a 
great  place.  More  steamboats  are  up  in  New  Orleans  for  it 
than  any  other  ;  and,  except  during  the  season  of  ice,  or  of 
extremely  low  water,  there  seldom  elapses  a  week,  without 
an  arrival  from  New  Orleans.  The  gun  of  the  arriving  or 
departing  steamboats  is  heard  at  every  hour  of  the  day  and 
night  ;  and  no  person  has  an  adequate  idea  of  the  business 
and  bustle  of  Louisville,  until  he  has  arrived  at  the  town. 
The  county  of  which  this  town  is  the  county  seat,  is  one  of 
the  most  fertile  and  host  settled  in  the  State.  The  town 
was  formerly  subject  to  frequent  attacks  of  endemic  sick 
ness,  in  the  summer  and  autumn,  owing  to  stagnant  waters 


466  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

LOUISVILLE. 

in  its  vicinity.  The  ponds  and  marshes  have  been  in  a 
great  measure  drained  ;  and  the  health  of  the  town  has 
unproved  in  consequence.  It  has  been  for  some  years  near 
ly  as  healthy  as  any  other  town  in  the  same  latitude  on  the 
Ohio.* 

THE  MAMMOTH  CAVE. — The  greatest  curiosity  in  Kentucky 
is  the  Mammoth  Cave,  in  Edmonclson  county,  on  the  road  to 
Nashville,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  miles  from  Lex 
ington.  The  depth  of  this  cavern  is  sixty  or  seventy  feet; 
and,  although  it  has  been  explored  nine  or  ten  miles,  it  con 
tains  numerous  windings,  running  deep  into  the  earth,  which 
have  never  yet  been  visited.  The  first  impression  which  a 
sight  of  this  immense  cavern  leaves  upon  the  mind,  is  that  of 
awe.  Its  vast  proportions,  its  wide-stretching  roof,  its  dark 
openings  and  colossal  figures,  strike  the  mind  with  astonish 
ment,  and  for  a  while  remove  it  from  the  contemplation  of 
little  things.  Some  of  the  incrustations  of  this  cave,  are  re 
markable,  not  only  for  immense  size,  but  for  the  singularity 
and  often  terribleness  of  their  forms;  but  most  of  them  seem 
to  want  the  variety  and  beauty  observed  in  the  stalactites  of 
Antiparos  and  other  celebrated  excavations.  The  earth  in 
the  vicinity  is  strongly  impregnated  with  saltpetre,  and  large 
quantities  of  that  article  are  manufactured  from  it. 

*  Flint's  Geography. 


OHIO. 


CINCINNATI. 

CINCINNATI,  sometimes  called  the  "  Queen  of  the  West," 
is  situated  on  the  north  shore  of  the  Ohio,  in  latitude  39°  6' 
30"  north,  and  in  longitude  7°  24'  45"  west  from  Washing 
ton  ;  450  miles  distant  from  Pittsburgh  by  the  course  of  the 
river  ;  860  from  New  Orleans,  and  850  from  New  York,  by 
way  of  the  Erie  and  New  York  canal. 

The  outlines  of  this  city  were  laid  out  as  early  as  1789,  on 
the  site  of  old  Fort  Washington ;  but  very  little  was  done 
towards  its  improvement  till  several  years  afterward.  In 
deed,  forty  years  ago  the  population  scarcely  numbered  1,000 ; 
and  it  is  hardly  more  than  twenty  years  since  attention  was 
first  directed  to  its  great  and  growing  importance  ;  within  that 
brief  period,  however,  Cincinnati  has  gained  a  rank  enjoyed 
by  few  other  cities  in  this  country. 

The  position  of  Cincinnati  is  admirable,  occupying  "  a 
beautiful  vale,"  says  Mr.  Flint, "  twelve  miles  in  circumference, 
created  by  an  elliptical  sweep  of  the  Ohio  hills.  Those  of 
them  that  have  not  been  laid  bare  by  the  unsparing  axe,  are 
beautifully  wooded  to  their  summits  ;  and  by  the  swell  and 
indentation  of  their  waving  outline,  present  the  most  grace 
ful  and  charming  forms.  From  the  summit  of  any  of  these 
hills,  the  towns  spreads  a  panoramic  map  of  exquisite  paint 
ing.  The  eye  traces  every  street,  with  its  smokes,  fixtures, 
and  moving  life,  from  which  all  the  roughness  of  inception, 
softened  by  distance,  appears.  The  noble  establishments, 
the  handsome  mansions,  the  extending  masses  of  buildings, 
the  numerous  manufactures,  propelling  their  columns  of 
black  smoke  aloft,  the  boat  yards,  the  bustling  inhabitants,  with 
the  hundred  teams  and  drays,  the  Ohio,  winding  along  the 
southern  limit,  and  itself  enlivened  by  passing  crafts,  and 
stately  steamboats,  rounding  to  the  shore,  or  departing  from 
it,  the  villages  of  Newport  and  Covington,  with  their  showy 
houses  and  manufactories  on  the  Kentucky  bank  of  the  Ohio, 
taken  together,  offer  such  a  picture  of  beauty,  wealth,  progress 

467 


468  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 

CINCINNATI. 

and  fresh  advance,  as  few  landscapes  in  any  country  can 
surpass.  Its  first  settlement  was  in  1789,  but  it  was  not 
until  1808,  that  a  considerable  part  of  the  present  town  plot 
that  surrounded  Fort  Washington,  and  belonged  to  the 
government,  was  sold  in  lots. 

"  A  more  eligible  position  for  a  town  can  scarcely  be  im 
agined.  The  chief  area  consists  of  two  parallel  plains,  the 
one  elevated  sixty  feet  above  the  other,  and  descending  to  it 
by  a  gentle  and  graduated  slope,  affording  admirable  facilities 
for  washing  the  town  by  every  considerable  rain,  and  sloping 
it  to  the  eye  in  the  graceful  form  of  an  amphitheatre,  and 
at  the  same  time  furnishing  it  with  every  pleasing  variety  of 
site  for  building.  One  of  the  chief  beauties  of  this  city  is 
obvious  to  every  eye,  which,  however,  we  have  not  seen  re 
corded.  The  streets  crossing  each  other  at  right  angles,  and 
being  straight  and  uninterrupted,  present  vistas,  bounded  by 
the  wooded  acclivities  of  the  surrounding  hills.  By  a  well 
known  optical  illusion,  these  swelling  hill  sides,  seen  through 
a  vista,  narrowing  in  apparent  width  in  proportion  to  its  dis 
tance  from  the  eye,  fill  the  angle  of  vision,  and  preclude  the 
perception  of  any  distance  between  the  termination  of  the 
street  and  the  commencement  of  the  hills.  In  consequence, 
through  whatever  street  the  beholder  looks,  it  seems  to  be 
closed  by  a  gate  of  verdure,  and  to  terminate  in  a  forest. 

"  Seven  of  the  streets  are  sixty-six  feet  wide,  and  three 
hundred  and  ninety-six  feet  apart,  intersected  by  streets  of 
the  same  width  and  distance,  at  right  angles.  One  entire 
square,  and  the  fraction  of  another,  are  reserved  in  central 
parts  of  the  city,  for  public  buildings.  The  city  buildings 
cover  an  irregular  area,  nearest  the  form  of  a  parallelogram. 
The  central  parts  are  compactly  built  with  houses  and  stores, 
that  would  ornament  any  town.  The  most  showy  quarters, 
are  Main,  Broadway,  and  Fourth  streets,  westward  from  its 
intersection  with  Main. 

Among  the  public  buildings  of  Cincinnati  is  the  Court 
House,  on  Main  street :  it  is  a  spacious  building,  56  by  60 
feet,  and  120  feet  high  to  the  top  of  the  dome.  The  edifice 
of  the  Franklin  and  Lafayette  banks,  on  the  north  side  of 
Third  street,  has  a  splendid  portico  of  Grecian  Doric  columns, 
four  feet  and  a  half  in  diameter,  extending  through  the  entire 
front  of  the  building,  after  the  model  of  the  Parthenon  at 
Athens,  arid  has  a  front  of  79  feet  and  a  depth  of  69  feet.  The 
ascent  to  the  portico  from  the  street  is  by  nine  steps,  which. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  469 


CINCINNATI. 


as  well  as  the  columns  and  entablature  of  the  portico,  are  of 
beautiful  gray  freestone.  This  edifice  is  truly  classical  and 
magnificent.  The  First  Presbyterian  church,  on  Main  street, 
is  a  handsome  brick  edifice ;  but  the  Second  church,  belong 
ing  to  the  same  denomination,  excels  it  in  beauty.  The  Unit 
arian  church  is  a  singularly  neat  one.  The  interior  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  is  striking.  The  First  Methodist  church  is 
a  spacious  building,  and  the  First  Baptist  church  is  a  very 
neat  edifice.  Other  churches  make  a  neat  and  respectable 
appearance. 

There  are  forty-three  churches  in  Cincinnati  ;  four  market- 
houses,  one  of  them  500  feet  long;  a  United  States'  Land 
Office;  a  theatre,  and  a  museum. 

The  city  contains  many  literary  and  charitable  institutions. 
The  Cincinnati  College  was  founded  in  1819,  and  has  fine 
grounds  and  a  valuable  building.  Woodward  College  derives 
its  name  from  its  founder;  it  is  now  respectable,  and  destined 
to  increase.  The  Roman  Catholics  have  a  college,  not  yet 
chartered,  called  Xavier  College:  it  has  about  one  hundred 
students,  and  four  or  five  thousand  volumes  in  its  libraries. 
Lane  Seminary,  a  Presbyterian  theological  institution,  is  lo 
cated  at  Walnut  hills,  two  miles  from  the  centre  of  the  city : 
it  went  into  operation  in  1833,  and  has  three  professors,  and 
more  than  10,000  volumes  in  its  library :  there  is  no  charge 
for  tuition.  This  is  an  important  institution,  and  its  salutary 
influence  will  be  long  and  widely  felt.  The  Medical  College 
of  Ohio  was  chartered  in  1825:  it  has  a  large  and  commodi 
ous  building,  and  furnishes  many  facilities  to  those  who  resort 
to  it  for  a  medical  education.  The  Mechanics'  Institute  was 
chartered  in  1828,  for  the  improvement  of  mechanics  in  sci 
entific  knowledge,  by  means  of  popular  lectures  and  other 
facilities  for  instruction :  it  has  a.  valuable  philosophical  and 
chemical  apparatus.  The  bazaar  formerly  erected  by  Mrs. 
Trollope  has  been  purchased,  and  a  fair  is  annually  held  for 
the  benefit  of  this  institution,  at  which  western  manufactures 
and  western  artists  exhibit  their  respective  commodities. 

The  common  free  schools  of  Cincinnati  are  of  a  high  order, 
and  every  possible  advantage  is  furnished  the  pupils  who  at 
tend  them.  Great  efforts  are  also  made  to  render  the  High 
Schools  in  every  way  conducive  to  the  objects  proposed  by 
them.  There  are  several  libraries,  whicli  deserve  a  passing 
notice  : — The  Young  Men's  Mercantile  Library  Association 
has  its  library  (containing  3,500  volumes)  and  reading-rooms 


470  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


CINCINNATI. 


in  Cincinnati  College.  The  Apprentices'  Library  contains 
2,200  volumes. — What  other  city  of  the  same  age  can  show 
such  a  number  of  institutions  designed  for  the  cultivation  and 
expansion  of  the  minds  of  its  citizens!  It  must  be  remem 
bered  that  Cincinnati,  although  early  settled,  scarcely  excited 
any  attention  until  it  was  chartered  in  1819 ;  since  which  time 
it  has  increased  with  a  rapidity  which  has  far  outstripped  the 
most  vivid  imaginings  of  its  founders. 

The  charitable  institutions  of  this  city  are  numerous  and 
respectable.  The  Cincinnati  Orphan  Asylum  has  a  fine  build 
ing  in  Elm  street,  which  cost  $18,000.  Attached  to  it  is  a 
library  and  well-organized  school.  The  Roman  Catholics 
have  two  Orphan  Asylums.  Besides  these,  is  the  Commercial 
Hospital  and  Lunatic  Asylum  of  Ohio,  incorporated  in  1821 : 
eleven  hundred  patients  have  been  admitted  into  this  institu 
tion  in  a  single  year. 

The  city  is  well  supplied  by  water  from  the  Ohio  river  by 
means  of  a  steam-engine  of  forty-horse  power,  which  forces 
the  water  to  reservoirs  150  feet  above  low-water  mark :  these 
reservoirs  will  contain  1,600,000  gallons.  Until  1839,  these 
works  were  private  property:  they  were  at  that  time  pur 
chased  by  the  city. 

Manufactures  of  almost  every  kind  have  greatly  increased 
within  a  few  years.  In  the  absence  of  water-power,  resort  is 
had  to  the  steam-engine ;  yet  great  advantage  is  derived  from 
the  surplus  water  of  the  Miami  canal,  which  affords  3,000 
cubic  feet  per  minute,  adequate  to  carry  sixty  pairs  of  mill 
stones.  A  still  greater  power  is  expected  from  the  Cincinnati 
and  Whitewater  canals. 

There  are  five  incorporated  banks,  whose  aggregate  capital 
is  85,800,000,  besides,  two  unincorporated  banks  and  a  bank 
for  savings.  There  are  eight  insurance  and  seven  fire-engine 
companies,  and  thirty-four  public  cisterns. 

Cincinnati  is  distinguished  above  all  other  places  in  the 
Union  for  its  pork  establishments.  In  1834-5,  160,000  hogs 
were  killed;  and  in  1836,  with  those  brought  into  the  city 
from  other  places,  180,000;  which,  when  prepared  for  ex 
portation,  amounted  to  $3,172,000.  The  average  time  occu 
pied  in  knocking  down  a  hog,  bleeding,  scalding,  scraping, 
and  stringing  up,  is  about  one  minute  and  a  quarter.  At 
several  of  the  packing-houses,  they  are  able  to  receive  the 
hogs  from  the  slaughter-house,  cut  them  up,  assort  the  meat, 
pack,  brine,  and  cooper  250  or  300  barrels  of  pork  in  one 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  471 


CINCINNATI. 


day,  and  have  it  ready  for  shipment ;  at  the  same  time  pre- 
pare  200  kegs  of  lard :  the  lard  is  rendered  in  large  kettles, 
set  in  the  cellar,  which  is  commonly  paved  with  brick.  Large 
smoke-houses  are  attached  to  these  establishments,  in  whicg 
200,000  or  300,000  pounds  of  meat  can  be  smoked  at  a  time. 
Such  are  some  of  the  establishments  at  the  West.  They  ex 
hibit  proof  complete  of  vast  enterprise  on  the  part  of  the  pro 
jectors,  and  the  wonderful  capacity  of  that  territory  for  the 
supply — we  might  almost  say  of  the  world. 

The  facilities  for  communication  with  the  surrounding 
country  are  already  numerous,  and  are  yearly  increasing. 
The  Miami  canal  is  finished  83  miles  to  Piqua,  and  will  ere 
long  be  extended  to  Defiance,  where  it  is  to  unite  with  the 
Wabash  and  Erie  canal.  The  Whitewater  canal  extends  70 
miles,  to  Cambridge,  in  Indiana,  on  the  national  road  ;  it  is  in 
rapid  progress,  and  will  command  the  trade  of  eastern  Indiana. 
The  Little  Miami  road  will  extend  to  Springfield.  But  we 
may  not  further  specify.  The  total  length  of  the  canals,  rail 
roads,  and  turnpikes,  either  completed  or  projected,  is  1,125 
miles;  and  will  cost,  it  is  estimated,  $12,000,000 — one  half 
of  which  has  already  been  expended. 

To  the  preceding  account  we  may  here  add  some  statistics, 
principally  gleaned  from  "  M'Culloch's  Geographical  Dic 
tionary,"  which  will  serve  to  exhibit  the  progress  of  this 
remarkable  place.  In  the  year  1840  there  were  in  this  city 
42  foreign  commercial  and  36  commission-houses,  with  a 
capital  of  85,200,000 ;  1035  retail  stores,  with  a  capital  of 
$12,877,000;  19  lumber-yards,  with  a  capital  of  $133,000; 
245  persons  were  engaged  in  internal  transportation,  who, 
with  790  butchers,  packers,  &c.,  employed  a  capital  of 
$4,071,930  ;  manufactures  of  leather,  as  saddleries,  &c., 
capital  $552,000;  13  binderies,  32  printing  offices,  produced 
3,800  daily  papers,  33,100  weekly,  1,800  semi-weekly,  and 
17,200  periodicals,  with  a  capital  of  $226,000 ;  but  it  is  safe 
to  calculate  that  this  last  branch  of  business  has  nearly  been 
doubled  since  1840.  In  short,  the  estimated  capital  then  em 
ployed  in  manufactures  was  $7,469,912;  but  by  a  later  and 
more  particular  enumeration,  it  appears  that  the  manufactures 
of  Cincinnati,  of  all  kinds,  employ  10,647  persons,  a  capital 
of  $14,541,842,  and  produce  articles  to  the  value  of  $17,- 
432,670.  This  includes  a  portion,  though  not  the  principal, 
manufactures  of  the  adjoining  villages  of  Fulton,  Newport, 
and  Covington.  The  trade  of  Cincinnati  embraces  the  country 


472  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


CINCINNATI. 


from  the  Ohio  river  to  the  lakes,  north  and  south,  and  from 
the  Scioto  to  the  Wabash  rivers,  east  and  west.  The  Ohio 
river  line  in  Kentucky,  for  fifty  miles  down,  and  up  as  far  as 
the  houndary  between  that  State  and  Virginia,  make  their 
purchases  here,  and  its  manufactures  are  sent  into  the  upper 
and  lower  Mississippi  country. 

Few  places  in  the  country  are  more  healthy  than  Cincin 
nati,  although  the  climate  is  more  variable  than  on  the  Atlan 
tic  coast  in  the  same  latitude.  The  extreme  range  of  the 
thermometer  of  late  has  been  from  four  to  ninety-six  degrees 
of  Fahrenheit ;  the  greatest  range  occurs  in  February  and 
March,  and  the  least  in  July  and  August,  the  mean  daily 
ran^e  being  a  little  over  fifteen  degrees. 

The  inhabitants  are  from  every  State  in  the  Union,  and  from 
various  countries  in  Europe.  Besides  natives  of  Ohio,  Penn 
sylvania  and  New  Jersey  have  furnished  the  greatest  number; 
but  many  are  from  New  York,  Virginia,  Maryland,  and  New 
England.  Nearly  one-third  of  the  adult  population  are  Ger 
mans  ;  but  England,  Ireland,  Scotland,  and  France,  have 
furnished  considerable  number*.  The  population  in  1850 
was  115,430. 


INDIANA. 


INDIANAPOLIS. 

INDIANAPOLIS,  the  capital  of  the  state  of  Indiana,  is  situated 
on  the  east  bank  of  the  west  fork  of  White  river.  It  is  a 
flourishing  business  place,  and  in  1850  contained  8,091  inha 
bitants,  distinguished  for  enterprise,  morality,  and  intelligence. 
The  State  House  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  structures  in  the 
West,  being  built  after  the  model  of  the  Parthenon  at  Athens. 
The  other  public  buildings  are  well-built,  and  present  an  im 
posing  appearance.  The  town  contains  several  schools,  churches, 
a  female  seminary,  stores,  &c. 


VINCENNES. 

VINCENNES,  on  the  Wabash,  150  miles  from  its  mouth,  is, 
after  Kaskaskia,  the  oldest  place  in  the  West.  A  settlement 
was  formed  here  by  the  French  in  1735.  They  fixed  them 
selves  in  this  fertile  spot,  contiguous  to  a  beautiful  and  exten 
sive  prairie,  many  hundreds  of  miles  from  other  whites,  and 
lived  on  the  most  peaceful  terms  with  the  neighbouring  tribes 
of  Indians.  Their  descendants  possess  much  of  the  vivacity 
and  amiability  of  the  French  character.  Vincennes  contains 
about  2,000  inhabitants,  was  formerly  the  capital  of  the  state, 
and  is  now  one  of  the  most  important  towns. 

Vincennes  has  been  the  scene  of  events  which  possess  much 
historical  interest.  Soon  after  the  French  ceded  Canada  to  the 
English,  this  post  and  others  in  the  West  also  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  latter  people.  When  the  Revolutionary  war  broke 
out,  the  agents  of  the  British  government  took  advantage  of 
their  situation  in  the  far  west  to  conciliate  and  secure  the  alli 
ance  of  the  Indian  tribes  around  them,  thus  exposing  the  fron 
tiers  of  the  states  to  the  depredations  of  remorseless  savages. 
The  most  active  of  these  agents  was  Governor  Hamilton,  who, 

473 


474  TRAVELS  AND  SKETCHES 


VINC'EXKES. 


having  his  head-quarters  at  Vincennes,  furnished  the  savages 
with  arms  and  ammunition,  and  stimulated  them  to  attacks  upon 
the  American  settlements.  This  state  of  things  aroused  Colonel 
George  Rogers  Clarke,  a  bold,  fertile,  and  persevering  military 
genius,  to  attempt  the  conquest  of  the  western  posts  and  check 
the  Indian  hostilities  at  their  source. 

Having  sent  spies  to  Kaskaskia,  and  through  their  activity 
obtained  all  necessary  information,  Colonel  Clarke  went  to 
Virginia,  laid  his  plans  before  Governor  Henry  and  some  emi 
nent  Virginians,  and  obtained  their  sanction  to  raise  seven  com 
panies  of  volunteers  to  execute  them.  He  experienced  many 
difficulties  in  collecting  men  and  supplies,  but  surmounted  them 
all;  and  in  June,  1778,  he  had  four  companies,  equipped  in  the 
Indian  style,  ready  for  a  march  from  Harrod's  Town.  On  the 
24th  of  June,  1778,  the  little  army  passed  the  fa^ls  of  the 
Ohio,  at  Louisville,  and  descended  the  river  to  a  point  above 
Fort  Massac,  where  it  landed.  Clarke  there  concealed  his 
boats,  intending  to  march  through  Illinois  to  the  settlement  of 
Kaskaskia.  With  the  capture  of  this  place,  we  have  nothing 
to  do  here.  It  is  sufficient  to  say,  that  Clarke's  success  at 
Kaskaskia  and  Cahokia  was  brilliant  and  complete — a  reward 
of  his  daring  and  exertion. 

But  Vincennes  was  still  in  the  possession  of  the  enemy,  and 
Clarke  employed  his  strategic  talents  to  get  possession  of  it. 
He  first  gained  over  the  French  priest,  M.Gibault.  That  per 
sonage  then  represented  to  the  people  of  Vincennes  the  alli 
ance  between  the  French  and  Americans,  and  succeeded  in  in 
ducing  them  to  throw  off  allegiance  to  the  British  and  hoist 
the  American  flag.  Captain  Helm  was  sent  there  to  act  as 
commandant  and  Indian  agent. 

On  the  29th  of  January,  1779,  Colonel  Vigo,  a  partner  of 
the  governor  of  St.  Louis,  brought  intelligence  to  Clarke,  at 
Kaskaskia,  that  Governor  Hamilton  had  returned  to  Vincennes 
and  brought  it  once  more  under  British  sway.  The  following 
incident  is  said  to  have  occurred  during  this  transaction  : — 

On  the  arrival  of  Governor  Hamilton  with  a  considerable 
force,  Captain  Helm  was  in  command.  He  and  one  soldier  by 
the  name  of  Henry  constituted  at  that  time  the  whole  of  its 
garrison.  As  soon  as  Governor  Hamilton  had  arrived  within 
speaking  distance  of  the  fort,  the  American  commander,  in  a 
loud  voice,  cried  out,  "  Halt."  Captain  Helm  had  a  cannon, 
well  charged,  then  placed  in  the  open  gateway,  and  stood  at  the 
time  with  a  lighted  match  by  its  side.  Governor  Hamilton, 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  475 


VINCENNES. 


seeing  the  cannon  in  the  gateway,  and  hearing  the  word  "halt," 
stopped  immediately,  and  demanded  its  surrender.  "  No  man," 
exclaimed  Helm,  with  an  oath,  "  enters  here  until  I  know  the 
terms."  Hamilton  replied  immediately :  "You  shall  have  the 
honours  of  war."  Helm  then  surrendered  the  fort,  and,  with 
the  private,  marched  out  with  the  honours  of  war. 

While  Hamilton  was  waiting  at  Vincennes  for  a  sufficient 
force  to  proceed  against  the  Americans,  Colonel  Clarke  resolved 
to  attack  him,  and  thus  most  effectually  secure  himself.  With 
his  usual  celerity,  he  fitted  out  a  galley,  put  six  small  guns 
and  forty-six  men,  under  Captain  John  Rogers,  aboard  of  her, 
and  ordered  the  captain  to  ascend  the  Wabash  as  far  as  White 
river,  and  there  remain  till  he  received  further  orders.  One 
hundred  and  fifty  men  were  then  collected  and  equipped  for  a  land 
approach  to  Vincennes.  The  following  account  of  this  Han 
nibal  expedition  we  take  from  Butler's  History  of  Kentucky : — 

"On  the  7th  of  February,  17 79,  this  forlorn  hope  commenced 
its  march  for  Vincennes,  over  the  drowned  lands  of  the  Wa 
bash,  in  a  wet,  though  fortunately  not  a  cold  season.  This 
dreary  and  fatiguing  march  was  alleviated  by  the  politic  ma 
nagement  of  Clarke,  who,  to  divert  his  men,  encouraged  parties 
of  hunting,  and  invitations  from  the  companies  successively  to 
feasts  on  game,  and  war-dances  of  a  night,  in  the  manner  of 
the  Indians.  In  this  way  the  party,  after  incredible  fatigues, 
reached  the  Little  Wabash  on  the  13th;  these  difficulties  were, 
however,  nothing  to  those  they  still  had  to  encounter.  At  this 
point,  the  forks  of  the  stream  are  three  miles  apart,  and  the 
opposite  heights  of  land  five  miles  in  the  ordinary  state  of  the 
water;  at  the  time  of  Clarke's  arrival,  the  interval  was  covered 
with  water,  generally  '  three  feet  deep,  never  under  two,  and 
frequently  over  four.'*  On  the  18th,  the  expedition  got  so 
near  Vincennes  as  to  hear  the  morning  and  evening  guns  at 
the  fort;  and  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  reached  within 
nine  miles  of  the  town,  below  the  mouth  of  the  Embarras 
river.  Great  difficulties  were  now  experienced  in  getting  ca 
noes,  in  which  to  cross  the  river,  and  the  men  required  all 
Clarke's  address  and  command  to  keep  their  spirits  from  failing. 
Still  there  was  no  sight  of  their  galley,  and  canoes  could  not 

*  In  the  midst  of  this  wading,  rather  than  marching,  a  little  drum 
mer,  who  floated  along  on  his  drum  head,  afforded  much  of  the 
merriment  that  helped  to  divert  the  minds  of  the  men  from  their 
hardship. — Journal  of  the  march  by  Major  liowman. 


476  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

VINCKNNE8. 

be  built  in  time  to  save  the  party  from  starving  in  the  destitute 
condition  in  which  they  were.  On  the  20th,  the  water-guard 
brought  a  boat  to,  from  which  the  most  cheering  intelligence 
was  obtained,  of  the  disposition  of  the  inhabitants  of  Vin- 
cennes,  and  the  continued  ignorance  on  the  part  of  the  enemy 
of  our  movement.  There  was  yet  a  large  sheet  of  water  to 
cross,  which  proved  on  sounding  to  be  up  to  the  armpits;  on 
the  report  being  made,  and  Clarke  speaking  seriously  to  an 
officer,  the  whole  detachment  caught  the  alarm,  and  despair 
seemed  ready  to  possess  them.  Colonel  Clarke,  observing  the 
depression  on  the  faces  of  his  men,  whispered  to  one  or  two 
officers  near  him  to  imitate  him  immediately,  in  what  he  was 
going  to  do  ;  he  then  took  a  little  powder  in  his  hand,  and 
mixing  it  with  some  water,  blacked  his  face  with  it,  raised  an 
Indian  war-whoop,  and  marched  into  the  water,  imitated  and 
followed  by  all  his  men  without  a  murmur.  So  much  does  the 
conduct  of  men  in  large  bodies  depend  upon  the  address  and 
tone  of  a  commander.  This  trick  of  backwoods'  invention  com 
municated  a  new  impulse  to  the  party,  and  they  stepped  into 
the  water  with  the  cheerfulness  which  many  troops  under  their 
sufferings  would  not  have  shown  on  land.  A  favourite  song 
was  now  raised,  and  the  whole  detachment  sang  in  chorus. 
AVhen  they  had  got  to  the  deepest  part,  where  it  was  intended 
to  transport  the  troops  in  two  canoes  which  they  had  obtained, 
one  of  the  men  said  he  felt  a  path,  (which  is  said  to  be  quite 
perceptible  to  the  touch  of  naked  feet,)  and  it  being  concluded 
this  must  pass  over  the  highest  ground,  the  march  was  conti 
nued  to  a  place  called  the  Sugar  Camp,  where  they  found  about 
half  an  acre  of  ground  riot  under  water.  From  this  spot, 
another  wide  plain  of  water  was  to  be  crossed,  and  what 
heightened  the  difficulty  was,  the  absence  of  all  timber  to  afford 
its  support  to  the  famishing  and  fatigued  party  in  their  wading. 
The  object  of  all  their  toils  and  sufferings  was  now  in  sight, 
and  after  a  spirited  address,  Clarke  again  led  the  way  into  the 
water,  still  full  middle  deep.  Before  the  third  man  stepped 
off,  Clarke  ordered  Captain  Bowman  to  fall  back  with  twenty- 
five  men,  and  put  any  man  to  death  who  refused  to  march,  for 
no  coward  should  disgrace  this  company  of  brave  men.  The 
order  was  received  with  a  huzza,  and  they  all  pursued  their 
fearless  commander  \  sometimes  they  were  cheered  with  a  pur 
posed  deception  by  the  cry  of  the  advance  guard,  that  the 
water  was  growing  shallower;  and  as  they  approached  nearer, 
the  favourite  cry  of  mariners — Land — land — was  hallooed  out. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  477 


VINCENNES. 


Yet,  when  they  arrived  at  the  woods,  the  water  was  found  up 
to  the  shoulder;  still  the  support  of  the  trees  and  the  floating 
logs  for  the  weaker  men  were  found  of  the  most  essential  ser 
vice.  To  such  a  degree  of  exhaustion  had  this  march  through 
so  much  and  such  deep  water  reduced  the  men,  that  on  ap 
proaching  the  bank,  or  rather  the  high  ground,  they  would 
fall  on  their  faces,  leaving  their  bodies  half  in  the  water ;  be 
cause  no  longer  able  to  continue  their  efforts.  While  resting 
at  a  spot  of  dry  timbered  ground  which  the  party  had  reached, 
an  Indian  canoe,  with  a  quarter  of  buffalo  beef  in  it,  some 
corn  and  tallow,  was  captured.  This  was  a  prize  of  inestimable 
value  to  men  in  their  exhausted  condition,  and  it  was  presently 
cooked  into  broth,  which  refreshed  the  men  in  the  most  ac 
ceptable  manner,  small  as  the  amount  was  to  each  individual. 
In  a  short  time  a  prisoner  was  made  of  a  gunner  who  was 
shooting  ducks  near  the  town,  and  Colonel  Clarke  sent  by  him 
a  letter  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  post,  informing  them  that  he 
should  take  possession  of  their  town  that  night;  and  giving 
notice  to  all  who  were  friends  to  tho  King  of  England  to  re 
pair  to  the  fort  and  fight  like  men ;  otherwise,  if  discovered 
after  this  notice  aiding  the  enemy,  they  would  be  severely 
punished.  Seldom  has  frank  notice  been  given  to  an  enemy, 
and  choice  afforded  to  retire  to  his  friends ;  it  was  resorted  to 
in  hopes  that  its  imposing  character  would  add  to  the  con 
fidence  of  our  friends,  and  increase  the  dismay  of  our  ene 
mies.  So  much  did  it  operate  in  this  way,  that  the  expedition 
was  believed  to  be  from  Kentucky;  it  was  thought  utterly 
impossible,  that,  in  the  condition  of  the  waters,  it  could  be 
from  Illinois.  This  idea  was  confirmed  by  several  messages 
under  the  assumed  name  of  gentlemen  known  to  have  been  in 
Kentucky  to  their  acquaintances  in  Vincennes;  nor  would 
the  presence  of  Clarke  be  credited,  until  his  person  was  pointed 
out  by  one  who  knew  him. 

"To  mask  the  weakness  of  the  force,  the  soldiers  had  their 
instructions  to  frame  their  conversation  before  strangers  so  as 
to  lead  them  to  believe  there  were  at  least  a  thousand  men. 
One  circumstance  occasioned  much  surprise  in  the  American 
party ;  that  although  a  great  deal  of  bustle  could  be  perceived 
in  all  the  streets  of  the  town,  not  a  drum  was  heard  nor  a 
gun  was  fired  from  the  fort ;  in  fact,  as  was  afterwards  learned, 
even  the  friends  of  the  British  were  afraid  to  give  the  garrison 
notice  of  Clarke's  presence.  About  sunset  on  the  23d  of 
February,  the  American  detachment  set  off  to  take  possession 


478  TRAVELS  AND  SKETCHES 


VINCKXNKS. 


of  the  town,  marching  and  countermarching  round  some  ele 
vations  in  the  plains ;  and  displaying  several  sets  of  colours, 
which  had  been  brought  by  the  French  volunteers,  so  as  to 
enhance  the  appearance  of  their  numbers;  then  taking  their 
course  through  some  ponds  that  were  breast  high,  they  en 
camped  on  the  heights  back  of  the  town.  Still  there  was  no 
hostile  demonstration  on  the  part  of  the  British,  and  there 
was  the  utmost  impatience  with  the  Americans  to  unriddle 
the  mystery.  For  this  purpose,  Lieutenant  Bayley  was  sent 
with  fourteen  men  to  commence  the  attack  upon  the  fort ;  but 
the  fire  of  this  party  was  attributed  to  some  drunken  Indians, 
who  frequently  saluted  the  fort  in  this  manner,  until  a  man 
was  shot  down  through  a  port-hole,  when  the  engagement 
began  in  good  earnest  on  both  sides.  During  the  fire,  when 
the  American  ammunition  had  become  very  low,  owing  to  a 
reliance  upon  the  stores  in  the  galley,  a  very  fortunate  dis 
closure  of  powder  and  balls,  which  had  been  buried  to  keep  it 
out  of  the  hands  of  the  British,  was  made  by  the  owners, 
Colonel  Legrass,  Major  Busseron,  and  others.  The  Tobacco's 
son  formerly  mentioned  now  made  his  appearance,  and  offered 
his  services  with  a  hundred  warriors;  the  offer  was,  however, 
declined,  though  his  presence  and  counsel  were  desired.  The 
fire  continued  without  intermission,  except  for  about  fifteen 
minutes  before  day,  until  nine  o'clock  the  next  morning. 
Our  men  would  lie  within  thirty  yards  of  the  fort,  and  un 
touched  ;  from  the  awkward  elevation  of  the  platforms  of  the 
garrison  guns,  the  balls  would  do  no  damage  but  to  the  build 
ings  of  the  town ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  no  sooner  was  a 
port-hole  opened,  or  even  darkened,  than  a  dozen  rifles  would 
be  directed  at  it,  cutting  down  every  thing  in  the  way.  By 
this  terribly  concentrated  fire,  the  garrison  became  discouraged, 
and  could  not  stand  to  their  guns ;  in  the  course  of  the  morn 
ing  a  fierce  demand  of  capitulation  was  made  by  Clarke,  but 
firmly  rejected  by  Governor  Hamilton ;  who  declared  '  he 
would  not  be  awed  into  any  thing  unbecoming  British  sub 
jects.'  Our  men  were  urgent  for  a  storm  of  the  fort,  but 
Clarke  sternly  repressed  such  rashness.  In  the  evening,  the 
British  officer,  finding  his  cannon  useless,  and  apprehensive  for 
the  result  of  being  taken  at  discretion,  sent  a  flag  desiring  a 
truce  of  three  days.  This,  Colonel  Clarke  thought  too  impru 
dent  to  grant ;  although  he  himself  expected  a  reinforcement 
with  artillery  on  the  arrival  of  his  galley  :  he  proposed  in  re 
turn,  that  the  British  garrisou  should  be  surrendered  at  dis- 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  479 

VINCENNES. 

cretion,  and  that  Governor  Hamilton  should,  with  Captain 
Helm,  then  a  British  prisoner,  meet  him  at  the  church.  In 
consequence  of  this  offer,  the  parties,  with  Major  Hay  on  the 
British  side,  met  each  other  as  desired  j  when,  Clarke  having 
rejected  the  terms  offered  by  Governor  Hamilton,  the  latter 
insisted  on  some  offers  from  the  former,  Clarke  peremptorily 
adhered  to  the  first  that  had  been  mentioned.  Captain  Helm, 
attempting  to  moderate  the  excited  feelings  between  the  two 
officers,  was  reminded  by  Clarke  that  he  was  a  British  prisoner, 
and  he  doubted  whether  he  could  with  propriety  speak  on  the 
subject.  The  British  commander  then  said,  that  Captain  Helm 
was  liberated  from  that  moment ;  but  Clarke  refused  to  accept 
his  release  on  such  terms,  and  said  he  must  return  and  abide 
by  his  fate.  The  British  officer  was  then  informed,  that  the 
firing  should  begin  in  fifteen  minutes  after  the  beating  of  the 
drums ;  and  the  gentlemen  were  taking  their  course  to  their 
respective  quarters.  Governor  Hamilton  now  called  to  Colonel 
Clarke,  and  politely  inquired  of  him,  what  his  reasons  were 
for  rejecting  the  garrison  on  the  liberal  terms  which  had  been 
proposed  to  him.  The  American  officer  then  told  him  with 
affected  severity,  {  I  know  the  principal  Indian  partisans  from 
Detroit  are  in  the  fort,  and  I  only  want  an  honourable  oppor 
tunity  of  putting  such  instigators  of  Indian  barbarities  to 
death.  The  cries  of  the  widows  and  orphans  made  by  their 
butcheries  require  such  blood  at  my  hands.  So  sacred/  said 
Clarke,  l  do  I  consider  this  claim  upon  me  for  punishment,  that 
I  think  it  next  to  divine,  and  I  would  rather  lose  fifty  men 
than  not  execute  a  vengeance  demanded  by  so  much  innocent 
blood.  If  Governor  Hamilton  chooses  to  risk  the  destruction 
of  his  garrison  for  the  sake  of  such  miscreants,  it  was  at  his 
pleasure/  Upon  this,  Major  Hay  exclaimed,  '  Pray,  sir, 
whom  do  you  mean  by  Indian  partisans  ?'  Clarke  keenly  and 
promptly  replied,  <I  consider  Major  Hay  one  of  the  principal 
ones.'  The  change  in  Hay's  countenance  was  instantaneous, 
like  one  on  the  point  of  execution ;  he  turned  pale  and  trembled 
to  such  a  degree,  that  he  could  scarcely  stand.  Governor 
Hamilton  blushed  for  his  behaviour  in  the  presence  of  officers; 
and  Captain  Bowman's  countenance  expressed  as  much  con 
tempt  for  the  one  as  respect  and  sorrow  for  the  other.  From 
that  moment  Clarke's  resolution  relented,  and  he  determined 
in  his  own  mind  to  show  Governor  Hamilton  every  lenity  in 
his  power  :  he  told  him,  that  l  they  would  return  to  their 
respective  posts,  and  he  would  reconsider  the  matter,  and  let 


480  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 

VINCKNNES. 

him  know  the  result  by  a  flag/  Upon  the  British  offer  being 
submitted  to  the  American  officers,  it  was  agreed  that  our 
terms  should  be  moderated  ;  they  were  accordingly  communi 
cated  to  Governor  Hamilton,  and  immediately  acceded  to  by 
him.  This  capitulation,  on  the  24th  of  February,  1779,  sur 
rendered  Fort  Sackville  to  the  Americans ;  the  garrison  was  to 
be  considered  as  prisoners  of  war.  On  the  25th,  it  was  taken 
possession  of  by  Colonel  Clarke,  at  the  head  of  the  companies 
of  Captains  Williams  and  Witherington,  while  Captains  Bow 
man  and  McCarty  received  the  prisoners;  the  stars  and  stripes 
were  again  hoisted,  and  thirteen  cannon  fired  to  celebrate  the 
recovery  of  this  most  important  stronghold  upon  the  Indian 
frontier." 

Soon  after  Clarke  took  possession  of  the  fort,  his  galley 
hove  in  sight.  The  men  aboard  of  it  were  glad  of  the 
triumph  of  their  friends,  but  somewhat  chagrined  because  they 
had  not  a  share  in  achieving  it.  Clarke,  whose  enterprise 
knew  no  limit,  regarded  the  capture  of  Vincennes  as  the  first 
step  towards  the  capture  of  Detroit.  But  he  never  obtained  a 
sufficient  force  to  warrant  his  attempting  it. 


ILLINOIS. 


KASKASKIA. 

KASKASKIA,  the  oldest  town  in  the  West,  is  situated  on  an 
extensive  plain,  about  11  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kas- 
kaskia  river,  and  six  miles  from  the  nearest  point  of  the  Mis 
sissippi.  It  contains  a  population  of  about  1,600  persons.  In 
spite  of  its  most  beautiful  situation,  and  the  fertility  of  the 
adjacent  country,  the  increase  of  its  population  is  not  rapid,  nor 
can  it  now  be  considered  a  place  of  much  importance.  But 
history  throws  the  spell  of  association  around  Kaskaslda. 
Here  the  French  Jesuits  made  their  first  establishment  in  the 
valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and  planted  the  banner  of  civilization 
in  the  thickest  of  the  wilderness,  and  among  the  most  savage 
tribes. 

The  first  settlers  of  Kaskaskia  were  some. of  the  followers 
of  the  enterprising  but  unfortunate  La  Salle,  who  founded  the 
town  in  1682.  While  the  French  retained  possession  of  the 
territory,  Kaskaskia  was  their  principal  town.  Charlevoix 
visited  it  in  1721,  and  records  that  it  then  contained  a  college 
of  Jesuits  and  about  a  hundred  families.  At  that  time,  St. 
Louis  and  New  Orleans  were  not  projected.  The  conquest  of 
Canada,  by  the  British,  drew  with  it  the  possession  of  the 
Western  French  posts.  Kaskaskia  fell  into  other  hands  than 
those  of  its  enterprising  founders.  In  1778,  this  town  was 
captured  by  Colonel  George  Rogers  Clarke,  of  whose  expedition 
against  Vincennes  we  have  given  an  account  under  the  head 
of  Indiana.  The  taking  of  Kaskaskia  is  thus  detailed  by 
Butler  :— 

"On  the  evening  of  the  4th  of  July,  1778,  the  expedition 
reached  within  a  few  miles  of  the  town,  where  it  lay  until 
dark,  when  the  march  was  continued ;  a  house  was  then  taken 
possession  of  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  above  the  town, 
which  lay  on  the  opposite  or  westerly  side  of  the  Kaskaskia 
river.  Here  it  was  learned  that  the  militia  had  a  few  days 
before  been  under  arms ;  but  no  cause  of  real  alarm  having 

31  481 


482  TRAVELS  AND    SKETCHES 


KASKASKIA. 


been  discovered  at  that  time,  every  thing  was  quiet ;  that  there 
was  a  '  great  number  of  men  in  the  town ;  the  Indians  had, 
however,  mostly  gone.'  A  sufficient  quantity  of  boats  for 
transportation  of  the  troops  was  soon  procured ;  two  divisions 
of  the  party  crossed  the  river,  with  orders  to  repair  to  different 
parts  of  the  town ;  while  Colonel  Clarke,  with  the  third  division, 
took  possession  of  the  fort  (afterwards  called  Fort  Clarke)  on 
this  side  of  the  river,  in  point-blank  shot  of  the  town.  Should 
this  detachment  meet  with  no  resistance,  upon  a  signal  given 
the  other  two  parties  were  directed  to  possess  with  a  shout 
certain  quarters  of  the  town,  and  to  send  persons  who  could 
speak  French  through  the  streets  to  give  the  inhabitants  notice 
1  that  every  man  of  the  enemy  who  should  appear  in  them 
would  be  shot  down.'  These  dispositions  had  the  most  com 
plete  success ;  the  fort  was  taken,  Clarke  entered  it  by  '  a 
postern  gate  left  open  on  the  river  side  of  the  fortification/ 
which  was  'shown  by  a  hunting  soldier,  who  had  been  taken 
prisoner  the  evening  before.'  The  town  of  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  houses  was  surrounded,  every  avenue  guarded  to  pre 
vent  communication  of  intelligence,  and  l  in  about  two  hours 
the  inhabitants  were  disarmed,'  without  one  drop  of  bloodshed. 
During  the  night  our  men  were  ordered  to  patrol  the  town 
with  the  utmost  tumult  and  whooping,  after  the  Indian  fashion, 
while  the  inhabitants  preserved  the  most  profound  silence. 
The  artifice,  however  painful  and  alarming  to  their  feelings, 
was  at  least  one  of  the  most  innocent  stratagems  of  war.  M. 
llocheblave  or  Rocheblawe,  as  Mr.  Jefferson  has  it,  the  British 
governor,  was  taken  in  his  chamber ;  but  very  few  of  his  public 
papers  could  be  secured,  as  they  were  secreted  or  destroyed,  it 
was  supposed,  by  his  wife.  This  lady  is  represented  as  pre 
suming  a  good  deal  on  the  gallantry  of  our  countrymen  by 
imposing  upon  their  delicacy  towards  herself,  for  the  purpose 
of  screening  the  public  property  and  papers  from  the  hands 
of  the  Americans.  But  better,  ten  thousand  times  better,  were 
it  so,  than  that  the  ancient  fame  of  the  sons  of  Virginia  should 
have  been  tarnished  by  insult  to  a  female.  Although  it  was 
suspected  that  many  important  papers  might  be  concealed  in 
the  trunks  of  the  governor's  lady,  they  were,  however, 
honourably  respected  and  not  examined.  During  the  night 
several  persons  were  sent  for  to  obtain  intelligence,  but  little 
information  could  be  procured  beyond  what  had  been  already 
received,  except  that  a  considerable  body  of  Indians  lay  at 
this  time  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Cahokia,  about  sixty  miles 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  483 

KASKASKIA. 

higher  up  the  Mississippi,  and  that  M.  Cere,  of  St.  Louis,  the 
principal  merchant  of  Kaskaskia,  was  at  that  time  one  of  the 
most  inveterate  enemies  of  the  Americans.  This  gentleman 
had  left  the  town  before  Clarke  had  captured  it,  and  was  now 
at  St.  Louis  on  his  way  to  Quebec,  whence  he  had  lately  re 
turned  in  the  prosecution  of  extensive  commercial  operations : 
his  family  and  an  extensive  assortment  of  merchandise  were 
in  Kaskaskia.  By  means  of  these  pledges  in  his  power,  Colonel 
Clarke  thought  to  operate  upon  M.  Cere,  whose  influence  was 
of  the  utmost  consequence  in  the  condition  of  the  American 
interest,  if  it  could  be  brought  to  be  exerted  in  its  favour. 
With  the  view  of  gaining  this  gentleman,  a  guard  was  imme 
diately  placed  around  his  house,  and  seals  placed  on  his  property, 
as  well  as  on  all  the  other  merchandise  in  the  place.  On  the 
fifth,  the  troops  were  withdrawn  from  the  town  to  different 
positions  around  it;  during  these  movements,  as  all  intercourse 
with  the  soldiers  had  been  forbidden  under  heavy  punishment, 
and  even  those  who  were  sent  for  by  Clarke  had  also  been 
ordered  to  have  no  communication  with  the  rest,  distrust  and 
terror  overspread  the  town.  In  possession  of  an  enemy  of 
whom  the  inhabitants  entertained  the  most  horrid  apprehen 
sions,  and  all  intercourse  either  with  one  another  or  with  their 
conquerors  sternly  prohibited,  the  anticipations  of  the  inha 
bitants  might  well  be  gloomy.  In  this  state  of  things,  after  the 
removal  of  the  troops  the  people  were  permitted  to  walk  about 
freely ;  when  finding  they  were  busy  in  conversation  with  one 
another,  a  few  of  the  principal  militia  officers  were  apprehended 
by  orders  of  Clarke,  and  put  in  irons,  without  assigning  any 
reason  or  suffering  any  defence.  This  immediately  produced 
general  consternation,  and  the  worst  consequences  were  ex 
pected  from  the  enemy,  whom  their  suspicions  had  invested 
with  such  terrors.  Yet  these  measures  were  taken  from  no 
wanton  cruelty,  for  of  all  men  Colonel  Clarke  enjoyed  the 
mildest  and  most  affectionate  disposition,  and  he  severely  felt, 
as  he  says,  every  hardship  he  believed  himself  compelled  to 
inflict.  After  some  time,  M.  Gibault,  the  priest  of  the  village, 
got  permission  with  five  or  six  elderly  gentlemen  to  wait  on 
Colonel  Clarke.  Shocked  as  the  citizens  had  been  by  the 
sudden  capture  of  their  town,  and  by  such  an  enemy  as  their 
imaginations  had  painted,  this  party  were  still  more  evidently 
shocked,  when  they  entered  Clarke's  quarters,  at  the  appearance 
of  him  and  his  officers.  Their  clothes  dirty  and  torn  by  the 
briers,  their  others  left  at  the  river,  the  appearance  of  the 


484  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


KASKASKIA. 


chiefs  of  this  little  band  was  indeed  frightful  and  savage,  as 
Clarke  himself  admits,  to  any  eyes;  how  much  more  so  to  this 
deputation,  may  be  easily  conceived  by  those  who  are  acquainted 
with  the  refinement  and  delicacy  of  the  ancient  French.  It 
was  some  time  after  entering  the  room  where  Clarke  and  his 
officers  were  seated  before  they  could  speak,  and  not  then  until 
their  business  was  demanded.  They  asked  which  was  the 
commander,  so  effectually  had  this  backwoods  expedition  con 
founded  the  differences  of  rank.  The  priest  then  said  that  the 
inhabitants  expected  to  be  separated,  perhaps  never  to  meet 
again,  and  they  begged  through  him  to  be  permitted  to  as 
semble  in  the  church  to  take  leave  of  each  other.  Clarke, 
aware  they  suspected  their  very  religion  to  be  obnoxious  to  our 
people,  carelessly  told  him  that  he  had  nothing  to  say  against 
his  church;  it  was  a  matter  Americans  left  for  every  man  to 
settle  with  his  God;  that  the  people  might  assemble  at  church 
if  they  would;  but  at  the  same  time  if  they  did  they  must  not 
venture  out  of  town.  Some  further  conversation  was  attempted 
on  the  part  of  the  Kaskaskia  gentlemen,  but  it  was  repelled 
by  saying  there  was  DO  longer  leisure  for  further  intercourse, 
in  order  that  the  alarm  might  be  raised  to  its  utmost  height. 
The  whole  town  assembled  at  the  church,  even  the  houses 
were  deserted  by  all  who  could  leave  them.  Orders  were 
honourably  given  to  prevent  any  soldiers  from  entering  the 
vacant  buildings ;  the  people  remained  iu  the  church  for  a 
considerable  time,  after  which  the  priest,  accompanied  by 
several  gentlemen,  waited  on  Colonel  Clarke,  and  expressed,  in 
the  name  of  the  village,  'their  thanks  for  the  indulgence  they 
had  received.'  The  deputation  then  begged  leave,  at  the  re 
quest  of  the  inhabitants,  to  address  their  conqueror  on  a  subject 
which  was  dearer  to  them  than  any  other ;  they  were  sensible, 
they  said,  '  that  their  present  situation  was  the  fate  of  war, 
and  they  could  submit  to  the  loss  of  their  property,  but  they 
solicited  that  they  might  not  be  separated  from  their  wives 
and  children,  and  that  some  clothes  and  provisions  might  be 
allowed  for  their  further  support.'  These  gentlemen  assured 
Colonel  Clarke  that  their  conduct  had  been  influenced  by  their 
commandants,  whom  they  considered  themselves  bound  to 
obey,  nor  were  they  sure  that  they  understood  the  nature  of 
the  contest  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  as 
the  opportunities  of  this  remote  region  were  very  unfavourable 
to  accurate  information.  Indeed,  many  of  the  inhabitants  had 
frequently  expressed  themselves  iu  favour  of  the  Americans 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  485 


KASKASKIA. 


as  much  as  they  dared.  The  utmost  hope  of  this  close  repeti 
tion  of  the  case  of  the  citizens  of  Calais,  with  ropes  about 
their  necks,  at  the  mercy  of  the  third  Edward  of  England, 
was  for  favour  to  their  wives  and  children.  In  this  distress 
of  the  villagers,  Clarke,  who  had  now  wound  up  their  terrors 
to  the  desired  height,  resolved  to  try  the  force  which  the  lenity 
his  whole  heart  had  all  along  intended  to  grant,  might  receive 
from  the  sudden  contrast  of  feelings.  For  this  purpose,  he 
abruptly  asked  these  gentlemen,  'Do  you  mistake  us  for  savages  ? 
I  am  almost  certain  you  do  from  your  language.  Do  you 
think  that  Americans  intend  to  strip  women  and  children,  or 
take  the  bread  out  of  their  mouths  ?  My  countrymen/  said 
Clarke,  l disdain  to  make  war  upon  helpless  innocence;  it  was 
to  prevent  the  horrors  of  Indian  butchery  upon  our  own  wives 
and  children  that  we  have  taken  arms  and  penetrated  into  this 
remote  stronghold  of  British  and  Indian  barbarity,  and  not 
the  despicable  prospect  of  plunder.  That  now  the  King  of 
France  had  united  his  powerful  arms  with  those  of  America, 
the  war  would  not  in  all  probability  continue  long ;  but  the 
inhabitants  of  Kaskaskia  were  at  liberty  to  take  which  side 
they  pleased,  without  the  least  danger  to  either  their  property 
or  families.  Nor  would  their  religion  be  any  source  of  dis 
agreement,  as  all  religions  were  regarded  with  equal  respect  in 
the  eye  of  the  American  law,  and  that  any  insult  which  should 
be  offered  it  would  be  immediately  punished.  And  now,  to 
prove  my  sincerity,  you  will  please  inform  your  fellow-citizens 
that  they  are  quite  at  liberty  to  conduct  themselves  as  usual, 
without  the  least  apprehension.  I  am  now  convinced,  from 
what  I  have  learned  since  my  arrival  among  you,  that  you 
have  been  misinformed  and  prejudiced  against  us  by  British 
officers;  and  your  friends  who  are  in  confinement  shall  imme 
diately  be  released/  The  agitation  and  joy  of  the  village 
seniors  upon  hearing  this  speech. of  Clarke  may  well  be  con 
ceived  ;  they  attempted  some  apology  for  the  implied  imputation 
of  barbarians,  under  the  belief  that  the  property  of  a  captured 
town  belonged  to  the  conquerors.  Clarke  gently  dispensed 
with  this  explanation,  and  desired  them  to  relieve  the  anxieties 
of  the  inhabitants  immediately,  requiring  them  to  comply 
strictly  with  the  terms  of  a  proclamation  which  he  would 
shortly  publish.  The  contrast  of  feeling  among  the  people, 
upon  learning  these  generous  and  magnanimous  intentions  of 
their  conquerors,  verified  the  sagacious  anticipations  of  Colonel 
Clarke.  In  a  few  moments  the  mortal  dejection  of  the  village 


486  TRAVELS   AND  SKETCHES 

CHICAGO. 

was  converted  into  the  most  extravagant  joy;  the  bells  were 
set  ringing,  and  the  church  was  crowded  with  the  people, 
offering  up  thanks  to  Almighty  God  for  their  deliverance  from 
the  horrors  they  had  so  fearfully  expected.  Perfect  freedom 
was  now  given  to  the  inhabitants  to  go  or  come  as  they  pleased; 
so  confident  were  our  countrymen  that  whatever  report  might 
be  made  would  be  to  the  credit  and  success  of  the  American 
arms. 


CHICAGO. 

Chicago  is  the  largest  town  in  Illinois,  and  one  of  the  most 
important  upon  the  great  lakes.  It  is  situated  on  the  south 
end  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  on  both  sides  of  the  Chicago  river. 
The  city  is  built  on  level  ground,  sufficiently  elevated  to  be 
secure  against  the  highest  floods,  and  has  a  very  good  harbour. 
Owing  to  its  very  advantageous  situation  for  trade,  this  city  has 
grown  with  wonderful  rapidity.  In  1830  it  was  a  mere  trading 
post,  and  in  1850  the  population  was  nearly  23,000.  The 
bulk  of  the  trade  of  this  port  is  in  wheat  and  lumber,  in  both 
of  which  the  neighbouring  country  is  exceedingly  rich.  As 
extensive  as  its  trade  already  is,  the  numerous  railroads,  pro 
jected  and  building,  will  greatly  increase  it.  The  Illinois  and 
Michigan  canal,  uniting  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Illinois,  is  a 
work  of  great  extent  and  beauty.  By  it  the  greater  part  of 
the  Union  is  converted  into  one  vast  island.  Travellers  may 
leave  Chicago  and  proceed  down  the  Mississippi  to  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  and  then  by  sea,  the  Hudson  river,  and  the  Erie 
canal,  reach  Chicago  again. 

Chicago  is  an  Indian  name,  signifying  the  place  of  the  pole 
cat.  The  history  of  the  place  contains  events  of  tragic  in 
terest.  When  the  war  of  1812  began,  there  was  a  fort  here. 
The  garrison  consisted  of  about  fifty  men,  under  the  command 
of  Captain  Heald.  The  powerful  tribe  of  Pottawatomies  pos 
sessed  the  adjacent  country,  and  for  some  time  before  the  com 
mencement  of  the  war  were  on  very  friendly  terms  with  the 
garrison.  But  Tecumseh  influenced  them  to  join  the  British 
cause,  with  most  of  the  northwestern  tribes.  The  garrison 
was  far  from  any  of  the  American  posts  in  the  Northwest 
territory,  and  at  the  commencement  of  the  war  should  have 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  487 

CHICAGO. 

been  strengthened  or  withdrawn  at  once.  An  order  was  re 
ceived  to  evacuate  the  fort,  but  it  came  too  late  for  safety. 
The  tragic  consequences  of  the  neglect  of  this  post  are  well 
narrated  by  Brown,  in  his  History  of  Illinois : — 

"On  the  7th  of  August,  1812,  in  the  afternoon,  Winnemeg, 
or  Catfish,  a  friendly  Indian  of  the  Pottawatomie  tribe,  arrived 
at  Chicago  and  brought  despatches  from  General  Hull,  contain 
ing  the  first,  and  at  that  time  the  only  intelligence  of  the 
declaration  of  war.  General  Hull's  letter  announced  the  cap 
ture  of  Mackinaw,  and  directed  Captain  Heald  '  to  evacuate 
the  fort  at  Chicago  if  practicable,  and  in  that  event,  to  dis 
tribute  all  of  the  United  States  property  contained  in  the  fort, 
and  the  United  States  factory,  or  agency,  among  the  Indians 
in  the  neighbourhood,  and  repair  to  Fort  Wayne/  Winnemeg, 
having  delivered  his  despatches  to  Captain  Heald,  and  stated 
that  he  was  acquainted  with  the  purport  of  the  communication 
he  had  brought,  urged  upon  Captain  Heald  the  policy  of  re 
maining  in  the  fort,  being  supplied  as  they  were  with  ammu 
nition  and  provisions  for  a  considerable  time.  In  case,  however, 
Captain  Heald  thought  proper  to  evacuate  the  place,  he  urged 
upon  him  the  propriety  of  doing  so  immediately,  before  the 
Pottawatomies  (through  whose  country  they  must  pass,  and 
who  were  as  yet  ignorant  of  the  object  of  his  mission)  could 
collect  a  force  sufficient  to  oppose  them.  This  advice,  though 
given  in  great  earnestness,  was  not  sufficiently  regarded  by 
Captain  Heald  ;  who  observed  that  he  should  evacuate  the  fort, 
but  having  received  orders  to  distribute  the  public  property 
among  the  Indians,  he  did  not  feel  justified  in  leaving  it  until 
he  had  collected  the  Pottawatomies  in  its  vicinity,  and  made  an 
equitable  distribution  among  them.  Winnemeg  then  suggested 
the  expediency  of  marching  out,  and  leaving  every  thing 
standing;  'while  the  Indians/  said  he,  'are  dividing  the  spoils, 
the  troops  will  be  able  to  retreat  without  molestation/  This 
advice  was  also  unheeded,  and  an  order  for  evacuating  the  fort 
was  read  next  morning  on  parade.  Captain  Heald,  in  issuing 
it,  had  neglected  to  consult  his  junior  officers,  as  it  would  have 
been  proper  for  him  to  have  done  in  such  an  emergency,  and 
as  he  probably  would  have  done  had  there  not  been  some  cool 
ness  between  him  and  Ensign  Ronan. 

"The  lieutenant  and  ensign,  after  the  promulgation  of  this 
order,  waited  on  Captain  Heald  to  learn  his  intentions ;  and 
being  apprized,  for  the  first  time,  of  the  course  he  intended  to 
pursue,  they  remonstrated  against  it.  'We  do  not/  said  they 


488  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 


to  Captain  Heald,  '  believe  that  our  troops  can  pass  in  safety 
through  the  country  of  the  Pottawatoraies  to  Fort  Wayne. 
Although  a  part  of  their  chiefs  were  opposed  to  an  attack  upon 
us  last  autumn,  they  were  actuated  by  motives  of  private 
friendship  for  some  particular  individuals,  and  not  from  a  regard 
to  the  Americans  in  general ;  and  it  can  hardly  be  supposed 
that  in  the  present  excited  state  of  feeling  among  the  Indians, 
those  chiefs  will  be  able  to  influence  the  whole  tribe,  now 
thirsting  for  vengeance.  Besides/  said  they,  l  our  march  must 
be  slow,  on  account  of  the  women  and  children.  Our  force, 
too,  is  small.  Some  of  our  soldiers  are  superannuated,  and 
some  of  them  are  invalids.  We  think  therefore,  as  your  orders 
are  discretionary,  that  we  had  better  fortify  ourselves  as  strongly 
as  possible,  and  remain  where  we  are.  Succour  may  reach  us 
before  we  shall  be  attacked  from  Mackinaw ;  and,  in  case  of 
such  an  event,  we  had  better  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  English 
than  become  victims  of  the  savages/  Captain  Heald  replied 
that  his  force  was  inadequate  to  contend  with  the  Indians,  and 
that  he  should  be  censured  were  he  to  continue  in  garrison 
when  the  prospect  of  a  safe  retreat  to  Fort  Wayne  was  so 
apparent.  He  therefore  deemed  it  advisable  to  assemble  the 
Indians  and  distribute  the  public  property  among  them,  and 
ask  of  them  an  escort  thither,  with  the  promise  of  a  consi 
derable  sum  of  money  to  be  paid  on  their  safe  arrival ;  adding, 
that  he  had  perfect  confidence  in  the  friendly  professions  of 
the  Indians,  from  whom,  as  well  as  from  the  soldiers,  the 
capture  of  Mackinaw  had  studiously  been  concealed. 

"  From  this  time  forward,  the  junior  officers  stood  aloof  from 
their  commander,  and,  considering  his  project  as  little  short 
of  madness,  conversed  as  little  upon  the  subject  as  possible. 
Dissatisfaction,  however,  soon  filled  the  camp;  .the  soldiers 
began  to  murmur,  and  insubordination  assumed  a  threatening 
aspect. 

"  The  savages,  in  the  mean  time,  became  more  and  more  trou 
blesome;*  entered  the  fort  occasionally  in  defiance  of  the  sen 
tinels,  and  even  made  their  way  without  ceremony  into  the 


*  An  Indian  runner  had  previously  arrived  in  the  Pottawatomie 
camp  with  a  message  from  Tecumseh,  informing  them  of  the  capture 
of  Mackinaw,  the  defeat  of  Van  Home,  and  the  retreat  of  General 
Hull  from  Canada.  He  desired  them  to  arm  immediately ;  and  inti 
mated,  that  he  had  no  doubt  but  General  Hull  would,  in  a  short  time, 
be  compelled  to  surrender. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  489 


CHICAGO. 


quarters  of  its  commanding  officer.  On  one  occasion  an  Indian, 
taking  up  a  rifle,  fired  it  in  the  parlour  of  Captain  Heald. 
Some  were  of  opinion  that  this  was  intended  as  the  signal  for 
an  attack.  The  old  chiefs  at  this  time  passed  back  and  forth 
among  the  assembled  groups,  apparently  agitated,  and  the 
squaws  seemed  much  excited,  as  though  some  terrible  calamity 
was  impending.  No  further  manifestations,  however,  of  ill- 
feeling  were  exhibited,  and  the  day  passed  without  bloodshed. 
So  infatuated  at  this  time  was  Captain  Heald  that  he  supposed 
he  had  wrought  a  favourable  impression  upon  the  savages,  and 
that  the  little  garrison  could  now  march  forth  in  safety. 

"From  the  8th  to  the  12th  of  August,  the  hostility  of  the 
Indians  was  more  and  more  apparent;  and  the  feelings  of  the 
garrison,  and  of  those  connected  with  and  dependent  upon  it 
for  their  safety,  more  and  more  intense.  Distrust  everywhere 
at  length  prevailed,  and  the  want  of  unanimity  among  the 
officers  was  appalling.  Every  inmate  retired  to  rest,  expecting 
to  be  aroused  by  the  war-whoop ;  and  each  returning  day  was 
regarded  by  all  as  another  step  on  the  road  to  massacre. 

"  The  Indians  from  the  adjacent  villages  having  at  length 
arrived,  a  council  was  held  on  the  12th  of  August.  It  was 
attended,  however,  only  by  Captain  Heald  on  the  part  of  the 
military  ;  the  other  officers  refused  to  attend,  having  previously 
learned  that  a  massacre  was  intended.  This  fact  was  com 
municated  to  Captain  Heald;  he  insisted,  however,  on  their 
going,  and  they  resolutely  persisted  in  their  refusal.  When 
Captain  Heald  left  the  fort,  they  repaired  to  the  blockhouse, 
which  overlooked  the  ground  where  the  council  was  in  session, 
and,  opening  the  port-holes,  pointed  their  cannon  in  its  direc 
tion.  This  circumstance  and  their  absence,  it  is  supposed, 
saved  the  whites  from  massacre. 

"Captain  Heald  informed  the  Indians  in  council,  that  he 
would  next  day  distribute  among  them  all  the  goods  in  the 
United  States  factory,  together  with  the  ammunition  and  pro 
visions  with  which  the  garrison  was  supplied ;  and  desired  of 
them  an  escort  to  Fort  Wayne,  promising  them  a  reward  on 
their  arrival  thither,  in  addition  to  the  presents  they  were 
about  to  receive.  The  savages  assented  with  professions  of 
friendship  to  all  he  proposed,  and  promised  all  he  required. 

"  The  council  was  no  sooner  dismissed,  than  several,  observing 
the  tone  of  feeling  which  prevailed,  and  anticipating  from  it 
no  good  to  the  garrison,  waited  on  Captain  Heald,  in  order  to 
open  his  eyes,  if  possible,  to  their  condition. 


490  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

CHICAGO. 

"  The  impolicy  of  furnishing  the  Indians  with  arms  and  am 
munition  to  be  used  against  themselves,  struck  Captain  Heald 
with  so  much  force  that  he  resolved,  without  consulting  his 
officers,  to  destroy  all  not  required  for  immediate  use. 

"On  August  loth,  the  goods  in  the  factory  store  were  dis 
tributed  among  the  Indians  who  had  collected  near  the  fort  j 
and  in  the  evening  the  ammunition,  and  also  the  liquor  be 
longing  to  the  garrison,  were  carried,  the  former  into  the  sally 
port  and  thrown  into  the  well,  and  the  latter  through  the 
south  gate,  as  silently  as  possible,  to  the  river  bank  where  the 
heads  of  the  barrels  were  knocked  in  and  their  contents  dis 
charged  into  the  stream. 

"  The  Indians,  however,  suspecting  the  game,  approached  as 
near  as  possible  and  witnessed  the  whole  scene.  The  spare 
muskets  were  broken  up  and  thrown  into  the  well,  together 
with  bags  of  shot,  flints,  and  gun-screws,  and  other  things ;  all, 
however,  of  but  little  value. 

u  On  the  14th  the  despondency  of  the  garrison  was  for  a 
while  dispelled  by  the  arrival  of  Captain  Wells  and  fifteen 
friendly  Miamies.  Having  heard  at  Fort  Wayne  of  the  order 
to  evacuate  Chicago,  and  knowing  the  hostile  intentions  of  the 
Pottawatomies,  he  hastened  thither,  in  order  to  save,  if  possible, 
the  little  garrison  from  its  doom.  Having  on  his  arrival, 
learned  that  the  ammunition  had  been  destroyed,  and  the  pro 
visions  distributed  among  the  Indians,  he  saw  there  was  no 
alternative.  Preparations  were  therefore  made  for  marching 
on  the  morrrow. 

"  In  the  afternoon  a  second  council  was  held  with  the  Indians, 
at  which  they  expressed  their  resentment  at  the  destruction 
of  the  ammunition  and  liquor  in  the  severest  terms.*  Not 
withstanding  the  precautions  which  had  been  observed,  the 
knocking  in  of  the  heads  of  the  whisky  barrels  had  been 
heard  by  the  Indians,  and  the  river  next  morning  tasted,  as 
some  of  them  expressed  it,  '  like  strong  grog.'  Murmurs  and 
threats  were  everywhere  heard,  and  nothing  apparently  was 
wanting  but  an  opportunity  for  some  public  manifestation  of 
their  resentment. 

"  The  morning  of  the  15th  dawned  as  usual.  The  sun  rose 
with  uncommon  splendour,  and  Lake  Michigan  'was  a  sheet 
of  burnished  gold/ 

*  Black  Hawk  always  insisted,  that  the  massacre  was  caused  by 
the  violation  of  good  faith  on  the  part  of  the  Americans. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  491 

CHICAGO. 

1  i  Early  in  the  day  a  message  was  received  in  the  American 
camp  from  To-pee-na-bee,  a  chief  of  the  St.  Joseph's  band, 
informing  them  that  mischief  was  brewing  among  the  Potta 
watomies,  who  had  promised  them  protection. 

"About  nine  o'clock  the  troops  left  the  fort  with  martial 
music  and  in  military  array.  Captain  Wells,  at  the  head  of 
the  Miamies,  led  the  van,  his  face  blackened  after  the  manner 
of  the  Indians.  The  garrison  with  loaded  arms  followed,  and 
the  wagons  with  the  baggage,  the  women  and  children,  the 
sick  and  the  lame,  closed  the  rear.  The  Pottawatomies,  about 
five  hundred  in  number,  who  had  promised  to  escort  them  in 
safety  to  Fort  Wayne,  leaving  a  little  space,  afterward  followed. 
The  party  in  advance  took  the  beach  road.  They  had  no  sooner 
arrived  at  the  sand-hills,  which  separate  the  prairies  from  the 
beach,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  fort,  when  the  Potta 
watomies,  instead  of  continuing  in  rear  of  the  Americans,  left 
the  beach  and  took  to  the  prairie.  The  sand-hills  of  course 
intervened,  and  presented  a  barrier  between  the  Pottawatomies 
and  the  American  and  Miami  line  of  march.  This  divergence 
had  scarcely  been  effected  when  Captain  Wells,  who,  with  the 
Miamies,  was  considerably  in  advance,  rode  back  and  ex 
claimed  :  l  They  are  about  to  attack  us ;  form  instantly  and 
charge  upon  them/  The  word  had  scarcely  been  uttered, 
before  a  volley  of  musketry  from  behind  the  sand-hills  was 
poured  in  upon  them.  The  troops  were  brought  immediately 
into  a  line  and  charged  up  the  bank.  One  man,  a  veteran, 
of  seventy,  fell  as  they  ascended.  The  battle  at  once  became 
general.  The  Miamies  fled  in  the  outset;  their  chief  rode  up 
to  the  Pottawatomies,  charged  them  with  duplicity,  and  brand 
ishing  his  tomahawk,  said,  'he  would  be  the  first  to  head  a 
party  of  Americans,  and  return  to  punish  them  for  their 
treachery.'  He  then  turned  his  horse  and  galloped  off  in 
pursuit  of  his  companions,  who  were  then  scouring  across  the 
prairie,  and  nothing  was  seen  or  heard  of  them  more. 

"  The  American  troops  behaved  gallantly.  Though  few  in 
number,  they  sold  their  lives  as  dearly  as  possible.  They  felt, 
however,  as  if  their  time  had  come,  and  sought  to  forget  all 
that  was  dear  on  earth. 

"While  the  battle  was  raging,  the  surgeon  Doctor  Voorhees, 
who  was  badly  wounded,  and  whose  horse  had  been  shot  from 
under  him,  approaching  Mrs.  Helm,  the  wife  of  Lieutenant 
Helm,  (who  was  in  the  action,  participating  in  all  its  vicissi 
tudes,)  observed  :  'Do  you  think/  said  he,  'they  will  take  our 


492  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

CHICAGO. 

lives  ?  I  am  badly  wounded,  but  I  think  not  mortally.  Per 
haps  we  can  purchase  safety  by  offering  a  large  reward.  Do 
you  think/  continued  he,  ' there  is  any  chance?'  l Doctor 
Voorhes/  replied  Mrs.  Helm,  'let  us  not  waste  the  few  mo 
ments  which  yet  remain,  in  idle  or  ill-founded  hopes.  Our 
fate  is  inevitable.  We  must  soon  appear  at  the  bar  of  God. 
Let  us  make  such  preparations  as  are  yet  in  our  power.' 
'Oh!'  said  he,  'I  cannot  die.  I  am  unfit  to  die!  If  I  had 
a  short  time  to  prepare ! — Death  ! — oh,  how  awful !' 

"At  this  moment  Ensign  Konan  was  fighting  at  a  little  dis 
tance  with  a  tall  and  portly  Indian ;  the  former,  mortally 
wounded,  was  nearly  down,  and  struggling  desperately  upon 
one  knee.  Mrs.  Helm,  pointing  her  finger  and  directing  the 
attention  of  Doctor  Voorhes  thither,  observed :  l  Look/  said 
she,  'at  that  young  man,  he  dies  like  a  soldier/ 

"  '  Yes/  said  Doctor  Voorhes,  'but  he  has  no  terrors  of  the 
future;  he  is  an  unbeliever.' 

"  A  young  savage  immediately  raised  his  tomahawk  to  strike 
Mrs.  Helm.  She  sprang  instantly  aside,  and  the  blow  intended 
for  her  head  fell  upon  her  shoulder.  She  thereupon  seized 
him  around  his  neck,  and  while  exerting  all  her  efforts  to  get 
possession  of  his  scalphig-knife,  was  seized  by  another  Indian, 
and  dragged  forcibly  from  his  grasp. 

"The  latter  bore  her,  struggling  and  resisting,  toward  the 
lake.  Notwithstanding,  however,  the  rapidity  with  which  she 
was  hurried  along,  she  recognised,  as  she  passed,  the  remains 
of  the  unfortunate  surgeon,  stretched  lifeless  on  the  prairie. 

"  She  was  plunged  immediately  into  the  water  and  held  there, 
notwithstanding  her  resistance,  with  a  forcible  hand.  She 
shortly,  however,  perceived  that  the  intention  of  her  captor 
was  not  to  drown  her,  as  he  held  her  in  a  position  to  keep  her 
head  above  the  water.  Thus  reassured,  she  looked  at  him  at 
tentively,  and,  in  spite  of  his  disguise,  recognised  the  '  white 
man's  friend.'  It  was  Black  Partridge. 

"  When  the  firing  had  ceased,  her  preserver  bore  her  from  the 
water  and  conducted  her  up  the  sand-bank.  It  was  a  beautiful 
day  in  August.  The  heat,  however,  of  the  sun  was  oppres 
sive,  and  walking  through  the  sand  exposed  to  its  burning 
rays  in  her  drenched  condition,  weary  and  exhausted  by  efforts 
beyond  her  strength,  anxious  beyond  measure  to  learn  the 
fate  of  her  friends,  and  alarmed  for  her  own,  her  situation  was 
one  of  agony. 

"The  troops  having  fought  with  desperation  till  two-thirds  of 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  493 

CHICAGO. 

their  number  were  slain,  the  remainder,  twenty-seven  in  all, 
borne  down  by  an  overwhelming  force  and  exhausted  by  efforts 
hitherto  unequalled,  at  length  surrendered.  They  stipulated, 
however,  for  their  own  safety  and  for  the  safety  of  their  re 
maining  women  and  children.  The  wounded  prisoners,  how 
ever,  in  the  hurry  of  the  moment,  were  unfortunately  omitted, 
or  rather  not  particularly  mentioned,  and  were  therefore  re 
garded  by  the  Indians  as  having  been  excluded. 

"One  of  the  soldiers'  wives,  having  frequently  been  told  that 
prisoners  taken  by  the  Indians  were  subjected  to  tortures  worse 
than  death,  had  from  the  first  expressed  a  resolution  never  to 
be  taken,  and  when  a  party  of  savages  approached  to  make  her 
their  prisoner  she  fought  with  desperation,  and  though  assured 
of  kind  treatment  and  protection,  refused  to  surrender,  and  was 
literally  cut  in  pieces,  and  her  mangled  remains  left  on  the  field. 

"  After  the  surrender,  one  of  the  baggage-wagons  containing 
twelve  children  was  assailed  by  a  single  savage,  and  the  whole 
number  were  massacred.  All,  without  distinction  of  age  or 
sex,  fell  at  once  beneath  his  murderous  tomahawk. 

"  Captain  Wells,  who  had  as  yet  escaped  unharmed,  saw  from 
a  distance  the  whole  of  this  murderous  scene,  and  being  ap 
prized  of  the  stipulation,  and  on  seeing  it  thus  violated,  ex 
claimed  aloud  so  as  to  be  heard  by  the  Pottawatomies  around 
him,  whose  prisoner  he  then  was :  <If  this  be  your  game,  I  will 
kill  too!'  and  turning  his  horse's  head,  instantly  started  for  the 
Pottawatomie  camp,*  where  the  squaws  and  Indian  children 
had  been  left  ere  the  battle  began. 

"  He  had  no  sooner  started  than  several  Indians  followed  in 
his  rear  and  discharged  their  rifles  at  him  as  he  galloped  across 
the  prairie.  He  laid  himself  flat  on  the  neck  of  his  horse, 
and  was  apparently  out  of  their  reach  when  the  ball  of  one 
of  his  pursuers  took  effect,  killing  his  horse  and  wounding  him 
severely.  He  was  again  a  prisoner.  As  the  savages  came  up, 
Winnemeg  and  Wa-ban-see,  two  of  their  number  and  both  his 
friends,  used  all  their  endeavours  in  order  to  save  him  ;  they 
had  disengaged  him  already  from  his  horse  and  were  supporting 
him  along,  when  Pee-so-tum,  a  Pottawatomie  Indian,  drawing 
his  scalping-knife  stabbed  him  in  the  back,  and  thus  inflicted 

*  The  Indian  camp  was  on  a  little  run  of  water,  which  entered  the 
Chicago  river  near  Bristol  and  Porter's  warehouse.  It  crossed  Lake- 
street  near  the  market,  and  occupied  what  is  now  State-street.  The 
above  scenes  it  will  be  observed  occurred,  and  the  battle  above  men 
tioned  was  fought,  within  the  limits  of  the  present  city  of  Chicago. 


494  TRAVELS   AND  SKETCHES 


CHICAGO. 


a  mortal  wound.  After  struggling  for  a  moment,  he  fell,  and 
breathed  his  last  in  the  arms  of  his  friends,  a  victim  for  those 
he  had  sought  to  save — a  sacrifice  to  his  own  rash,  presump 
tuous,  and  perhaps  indiscreet  intentions. 

"The  battle  having  ended,  and  the  prisoners  being  secured, 
the  latter  were  conducted  to  the  Pottawatomie  camp  near  the 
fort.  Here  the  wife  of  Wau-bee-nee-mah,  an  Illinois  chief, 
perceiving  the  exhausted  condition  of  Mrs.  Helm,  took  a  kettle 
and  dipping  up  some  water  from  the  stream  which  flowed  slug 
gishly  by  them,  threw  into  it  some  maple-sugar  and  stirring  it 
up  with  her  hand,  gave  her  to  drink.  'It  was/  says  Mrs. 
Helm,  *  the  most  delicious  draught  I  had  ever  taken,  and  her 
kindness  of  manner  amid  so  much  atrocity  touched  my  heart.' 
Her  attention,  however,  was  soon  directed  to  other  objects. 
The  fort,  after  the  troops  had  marched  out,  became  a  scene  of 
plunder.  The  cattle  were  shot  down  as  they  ran  at  large,  and 
lay  dead,  or  were  dying  around  her.  It  called  up  afresh  a 
remark  of  Ensign  Konan's,  made  before:  'Such/  said  he,  'is 
to  be  our  fate — to  be  shot  down  like  brutes/ 

"  The  wounded  prisoners,  we  have  already  remarked,  were  not 
included  in  the  stipulation  made  on  the  battle-field,  as  the 
Indians  understood  it.  On  reaching,  therefore,  the  Pottawatomie 
camp,  a  scene  followed  which  beggars  description.  A  wounded 
soldier  lying  on  the  ground  was  violently  assaulted  by  an  old 
squaw,  infuriated  by  the  loss  of  friends  or  excited  by  the  mur 
derous  scenes  around  her — who,  seizing  a  pitchfork,  attacked 
with  demoniac  ferocity  and  deliberately  murdered  in  cold  blood 
the  wretched  victim,  now  helpless  and  exposed  to  the  burning 
rays  of  the  sun,  his  wounds  already  aggravated  by  its  heat 
and  he  writhing  in  torture.  During  the  succeeding  night  five 
other  wounded  prisoners  were  tomahawked. 

"  Those  unwounded  remained  in  the  wigwams  of  their  cap 
tors.  The  work  of  plunder  being  now  completed,  the  fort 
next  day  was  set  on  fire.  A  fair  and  equal  distribution  of  all 
the  finery  belonging  to  the  garrison  had  apparently  been  made, 
and  shawls,  and  ribands,  and  feathers  were  scattered  about 
the  camp  in  great  profusion." 

Most  of  the  prisoners  remained  among  the  Indians  until  the 
treaty  made  in  the  next  year,  when  they  were  returned  to  their 
friends.  Captain  Ilcald  and  his  wife,  and  Lieutenant  Helm 
and  his  wife,  were  ransomed  soon  after  their  capture.  Their 
sufferings  and  perils,  however,  during  their  short  captivity 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  495 


GALENA. 

Galena  is  the  second  town  in  population  and  business  in 
Illinois.  It  is  situated  on  Fever  river,  seven  miles  from  the 
Mississippi,  and  in  the  heart  of  the  lead  region.  The  river  is 
here  not  more  than  30  yards  wide,  and  there  is  barely  room 
enough  for  boats  to  turn  round.  Galena  derives  its  rapid 
growth  and  importance  from  the  value  of  the  lead  mines 
around  it.  Its  population  now  amounts  to  more  than  6,000, 
and  the  opening  of  the  Galena  and  Chicago  Railroad  commu 
nication  is  expected  to  accelerate  its  increase. 


NAUVOO. 

The  town  of  Nauvoo  is  situated  on  the  Mississippi,  at  the 
second  rapid  below  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony.  It  is  located  on 
a  bluff,  which  is  distinguished  by  an  easy  slope  of  great  extent. 
The  plain  at  the  summit  is  broad  enough  for  the  erection  of 
an  immense  city.  Nauvoo  was  intended  by  the  Mormons,  its 
founders,  to  be  a  vast  and  beautiful  city,  and  once  contained 
18,000  inhabitants.  The  Mormon  temple  was  a  building 
without  a  peer  in  the  West.  It  was  128  feet  long,  88  feet 
wide,  65  feet  high  to  the  top  of  the  cornice,  and  163  feet  to 
the  top  of  the  cupola.  It  was  built  of  polished  limestone, 
which  resembled  marble,  and  its  architecture  was  Doric.  It 
could  accommodate  about  3,000  persons.  In  the  basement  of 
the  temple  was  a  large  stone  basin,  supported  by  twelve  oxen 
of  colossal  size.  In  this  font  the  Mormons  were  baptized. 
This  building  was  reduced  to  a  heap  of  ruins  by  an  incendiary 
in  October,  1848.  The  Mormon  troubles  furnish  a  curious 
chapter  for  the  history  of  Illinois. 

On  the  10th  of  December,  1840,  the  Legislature  of  Illinois 
passed  an  act  to  incorporate  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  and  several 
acts  highly  favourable  to  the  prosperity  of  the  Mormon  popu 
lation  were  passed  in  the  course  of  the  same  session.  But  it 
seems  that  these  people,  in  their  enthusiasm  for  their  religious 
principles  and  for  the  glorification  of  their  prophet  and  ruler, 
Joseph  Smith,  forgot  their  duty  to  the  government  of  the 
state.  They  adopted  several  ordinances  which  virtually  an- 


496  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

SPRINGFIELD. 

nulled  the  laws.  Among  these  were  the  ordinances  permitting 
marriage  without  license,  and  making  it  penal  for  an  officer  to 
serve  process  in  Nauvoo,  if  the  said  process  was  not  approved 
by  the  Mormon  authorities.  The  continuance  of  such  ordi 
nances  and  the  practice  under  them  at  length  aroused  the  other 
inhabitants  of  Hancock  county,  and  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  governor.  Frequent  contests  ensued,  and  it  became  the 
settled  purpose  of  the  inhabitants,  or  of  the  rough  spirits 
among  them,  to  drive  the  Mormons  from  the  state.  The 
temple  was  burned,  and  soon  after  the  governor  issued  an 
order  for  the  arrest  of  Joseph  Smith  and  some  of  his  chief 
followers.  Those  personages  were  arrested  and  committed  to 
jail.  But  a  band  of  armed  men  were  determined  to  assert  the 
supremacy  of  the  summary  Lynch  law,  disguised  themselves, 
broke  open  the  jail,  seized  the  prisoners,  and  shot  them  dead. 
Not  long  after  this  terrible  demonstration  of  the  hostility  of 
the  people,  the  Mormons  left  their  prosperous  city  and  moved 
west  of  the  Mississippi.  The  place  is  now  of  comparatively 
small  importance,  though  the  beautiful  site  of  the  town  and 
the  magnificent  scenery  in  the  vicinity  will  well  repay  a  visit 
from  tourists. 


SPRINGFIELD. 

Springfield,  the  capital  of  Illinois,  is  situated  about  4  miles 
south  of  the  Sangamon  river,  upon  the  edge  of  a  rich  and 
well-cultivated  prairie,  and  in  the  centre  of  the  state.  It  con 
tains  about  5,000  inhabitants,  several  respectable  public  build 
ings,  schools,  and  manufactories.  The  town  is  flourishing,  and 
presents  a  beautiful  appearance.  It  can  be  reached  by  various 
routes,  upon  which  the  travel  is  by  railroad  and  stage. 


32 


PONTIAC. 


MICHIGAN. 


DETROIT. 

DETROIT  is  situated  on  high  ground,  on  the  west  side  of 
Detroit  river,  18  miles  above  the  west  extremity  of  Lake  Erie. 
It  is  favourably  situated  %•  trade,  and  the  navigation  of  the 
river  and  lake  being  open  for  two-thirds  of  the  year,  Detroit 
will  soon  become  a  great  commercial  depot.  The  population  is 
about  21,000  souls.  Detroit  was  formerly  the  capital  of  Michi 
gan,  but  Lansing  now  occupies  that  position.  Among  the 
best  hotels  in  the  city  are  the  National,  Mansion  House,  Ex 
change,  and  Commercial,  at  each  of  which  boarding  is  cheap 
and  good.  From  Detroit,  there  are  two  pleasant  routes  to 
Chicago  :  one,  by  railroad  to  New-Buffalo,  and  thence  by  steam 
boat  to  Chicago ;  and  the  other,  by  way  of  Lakes  Huron  and 
Michigan. 

Detroit  was  settled  by  the  French  from  Canada,  as  early  as 
1683.  But  many  years  elapsed  before  the  place  became  the 
scene  of  interesting  events.  A  fort  was  erected  by  the  French, 
and  Detroit  was  known  as  their  most  important  trading-post. 
When  the  English  gained  possession  of  Canada,  General  Am- 
herst  sent  Major  Gladwyn  with  a  small  force  to  take  possession 
of  this  post.  This  business  was  accomplished  peaceably.  In 
1763,  hostilities  were  suddenly  commenced  by  the  Indians, 
under  the  command  of  the  great  chief  Pontiac.  They  attacked 
and  captured  several  posts  in  the  Northwest  territory. 

At  Detroit,  where  Pontiac  commanded,  treachery  prevented 
success ;  of  this  we  give  the  account  by  Captain  Carver : — 

"  As  every  appearance  of  war  was  at  an  end,  and  the  Indians 
seemed  to  be  on  friendly  footing,  Pontiac  approached  Detroit 
without  exciting  any  suspicions  in  the  breast  of  the  governor 
or  the  inhabitants.  He  encamped  at  a  little  distance  from  it, 
and  let  the  commandant  know  that  he  was  come  to  trade ;  and 
being  desirous  of  brightening  the  chain  of  peace  between  the 
English  and  his  nation,  desired  that  he  and  his  chiefs  might 
be  admitted  to  hold  a  council  with  him.  The  governor,  still 

499 


500  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

DETROIT. 

unsuspicious,  and  not  in  the  least  doubting  the  sincerity  of  the 
Indians,  granted  their  general's  request,  and  fixed  on  the  next 
morning  for  their  reception. 

"  On  the  evening  of  that  day  an  Indian  woman  who  had 
been  appointed  by  Major  Gladwyn  to  make  a  pair  of  Indian 
shoes  out  of  a  curious  elkskin,  brought  them  home.  The 
major  was  so  pleased  with  them,  that,  intending  these  as  a 
present  for  a  friend,  he  ordered  her  to  take  the  remainder  back 
and  make  it  into  others  for  himself.  He  then  directed  his 
servant  to  pay  her  for  those  she  had  done,  and  dismissed  her. 
The  woman  went  to  the  door  that  led  to  the  street,  but  no  fur 
ther  ;  she  there  loitered  about  as  if  she  had  not  finished  the 
business  on  which  she  came.  A^rvant  at  length  observed 
her,  and  asked  her  why  she.  .stayfa  there  ?  She  gave  him, 
however,  no  answer. 

"  Some  short  time  afterjjtlie  governor  himself  saw  her,  and 
inquired  of  his  servant  what  occasioned  her  stay.  Not  being 
able  to  get  a  satisfactory  answer,  he  ordered  the  woman  to 
be  called  in.  When  she  came  into  his  presence  he  desired 
to  know  what  was  the  reason  of  her  loitering  about,  and  not 
hastening  home  before  the  gates  were  shut,  that  she  might 
complete  in  due  time  the  work  he  had  given  her  to  do.  She 
told  him,  after  much  hesitation,  that  as  he  had  always  behaved 
with  great  goodness  towards  her,  she  was  unwilling  to  take 
away  the  remainder  of  the  skin,  because  he  put  so  great  a 
value  upon  it;  and  yet  had  not  been  able  to  prevail  upon  her 
self  to  tell  him  so.  He  then  asked  her  why  she  was  more 
reluctant  to  do  so  now  than  she  had  been  when  she  made  the 
former  pair.  With  increased  reluctance  she  answered,  that  she 
should  never  be  able  to  bring  them  back. 

"  His  curiosity  was  now  excited;  he  insisted  on  her  disclosing 
the  secret  that  seemed  to  be  struggling  in  her  bosom  for  utter 
ance.  At  last,  on  receiving  a  promise  that  the  intelligence  she 
was  about  to  give  him  should  not  turn  to  her  prejudice;  and 
that,  if  it  appeared  to  be  beneficial,  she  should  be  rewarded  for 
it,  she  informed  him  that  at  the  council  to  be  held  with  the 
Indians  the  following  day,  Pontiac  and  his  chiefs  intended  to 
murder  him,  and,  after  having  massacred  the  garrison  and  in 
habitants,  to  plunder  the  town.  That  for  this  purpose  all  the 
chiefs  who  were  to  be  adnutted  into  the  council-room  had  cut 
their  guns  short,  so  that  they  could  conceal  them  under  their 
blankets;  with  which,  on  a  signal  given  by  their  general  on 
delivering  the  bolt,  they  were  all  to  rise  up  and  instantly  to 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  501 

DETROIT. 

fire  on  him  and  his  attendants.  Having  effected  this,  they 
were  immediately  to  rush  into  the  town,  where  they  would  find 
themselves  supported  by  a  great  number  of  their  warriors  that 
were  to  come  into  it  during  the  sitting  of  the  council  under 
the  pretence  of  trading,  but  privately  armed  in  the  same 
manner.  Having  gained  from  the  woman  every  necessary 
particular  relative  to  the  plot,  and  also  the  means  by  which 
she  acquired  a  knowledge  of  them,  he  dismissed  her  with  in 
junctions  of  secrecy,  and  a  promise  of  fulfilling  on  his  part 
with  punctuality  the  engagements  he  had  entered  into. 

"  The  intelligence  the  governor  had  just  received  gave  him 
great  uneasiness,  and  he  immediately  consulted  the  officer  who 
was  next  him  in  command  on  the  subject.  But  this  gentleman, 
considering  the  information  as  a  story  invented  for  some  artful 
purpose,  advised  him  to  pay  no  attention  to  it.  This  conclu 
sion,  however,  had  happily  no  weight  with  him.  He  thought 
it  prudent  to  conclude  it  to  be  true  till  he  was  convinced  it  was 
not  so;  and  therefore,  without  revealing  his  suspicions  to  any 
other  person,  he  took  every  needful  precaution  that  the  time 
would  admit  of.  He  walked  around  the  fort  for  the  whole 
night,  and  saw  himself  that  every  sentinel  was  upon  duty,  and 
every  weapon  of  defence  in  proper  order. 

"As  he  traversed  the  ramparts  that  lay  nearest  to  the  Indian 
camp,  he  heard  them  in  high  festivity,  and,  little  imagining 
that  their  plot  was  discovered,  probably  pleasing  themselves 
with  the  anticipation  of  their  success.  As  soon  as  the  morning 
dawned,  he  ordered  all  the  garrison  under  arms,  and  then,  im 
parting  his  apprehensions  to  a  few  of  the  principal  officers, 
gave  them  such  directions  as  he  thought  necessary.  At  the 
same  time  he  sent  round  to  all  the  traders  to  inform  them, 
that  as  it  was  expected  a  great  number  of  Indians  would  enter 
the  town  that  day,  who  might  be  inclined  to  plunder,  he  de 
sired  they  would  have  their  arms  ready,  and  repel  any  attempt 
of  that  kind. 

"  About  ten  o'clock,  Pontiac  and  his  chiefs  arrived,  and 
were  conducted  to  the  council  chamber,  where  the  governor 
and  his  principal  officers,  each  with  pistols  in  his  belt,  awaited 
his  arrival.  As  the  Indians  passed  on,  they  could  not  help 
observing  that  a  greater  number  of  troops  than  usual  were 
drawn  up  on  the  parade,  or  marching  about.  No  sooner  were 
they  entered,  and  seated  on  the  skins  prepared  for  them,  than 
Pontiac  asked  the  governor  on  what  occasion  his  young  men, 
meaning  the  soldiers,  were  thus  drawn  up  and  parading  the 


502  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

DETROIT. 

streets  ?  He  received  for  answer  that  it  was  only  intended  to 
keep  them  perfect  in  their  exercise. 

"  The  Indian  chief  warrior  now  began  his  speech,  which 
contained  the  strongest  professions  of  friendship  and  good-will 
towards  the  English :  and  when  he  came  to  the  delivery  of 
the  belt  of  wampum,  the  particular  mode  of  which,  according 
to  the  woman's  information,  was  to  be  the  signal  for  the  chiefs 
to  fire,  the  governor  and  all  his  attendants  drew  their  swords 
halfway  out  of  their  scabbards ;  and  the  soldiers  at  the  same 
time  made  a  clattering  with  their  arms  before  the  door,  which 
had  been  purposely  left  open.  Pontiac,  though  one  of  the 
bravest  men,  immediately  turned  pale  and  trembled ;  and  in 
stead  of  giving  the  belt  in  the  manner  proposed,  delivered  it 
according  to  the  usual  way.  His  chiefs,  who  had  impatiently 
expected  the  signal,  looked  at  each  other  with  astonishment, 
but  continued  quiet  waiting  the  result. 

"The  governor,  in  his  turn,  made  a  speech  j  but  instead  of 
thanking  the  great  warrior  for  the  professions  of  friendship  he 
had  just  uttered,  he  accused  him  of  being  a  traitor.  He  told 
him  that  the  English,  who  knew  every  thing,  were  convinced 
of  his  treachery  and  villanous  designs ;  and  as  a  proof  that 
they  were  acquainted  with  his  most  secret  thoughts  and  inten 
tions,  he  stepped  towards  an  Indian  chief  that  sat  nearest  to 
him,  and  drawing  aside  the  blanket,  discovered  the  shortened 
firelock.  This  entirely  disconcerted  the  Indians  and  frustrated 
their  design. 

"  He  then  continued  to  tell  them,  that  as  he  had  given  his 
word,  at  the  time  they  had  desired  an  audience,  that  their  per 
sons  should  be  safe,  he  would  hold  his  promise  inviolable, 
though  they  so  little  deserved  it.  However,  he  desired  them 
to  make  the  best  of  their  way  out  of  the  fort,  lest  his  young 
men,  on  being  acquainted  with  their  treacherous  purposes, 
should  cut  every  one  of  them  to  pieces. 

"  Pontiac  endeavoured  to  contradict  the  accusation,  and  to 
make  excuses  for  his  suspicious  conduct  ]  but  the  governor, 
satisfied  of  the  falsity  of  his  protestations,  would  not  listen  to 
him.  The  Indians  immediately  left  the  fort;  but,  instead  of 
being  sensible  of  the  governor's  generous  behaviour,  they 
threw  off  the  mask,  and  the  next  day  made  a  regular  attack 
upon  it. 

"  Thus  foiled,  Pontiac  laid  formal  siege  to  the  fortress,  and  for 
many  mouths  that  siege  was  continued  in  a  manner,  and  with 
a  perseverance,  unexampled  among  the  Indians.  Even  a  regu- 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA  503 

DETROIT. 

lar  commissariat  department  was  organized,  and  bills  of  credit 
drawn  out  upon  bark  were  issued,  and,  what  is  rarer,  punctually 
paid." 

Pontiac,  having  invested  Detroit  for  about  twelve  months, 
and  hearing  of  the  approach  of  an  army  under  General  Brad- 
street,  raised  the  siege,  and  soon  after  sued  for  peace. 

In  August,  1812,  Detroit  was  the  scene  of  still  more  import 
ant  events.  Major  General  Hull  with  a  considerable  force 
of  American  troops  took  possession-  of  it,  and  shortly  after,  his 
communications  were  cut  off,  which  endangered  the  safety  of 
the  army. 

"  On  the  15th  of  August,  General  Brock,  with  an  army  of 
British  and  Indians,  appeared  and  planted  batteries  on  the 
bank  of  the  river  opposite  the  fortress  of  Detroit,  and  sent  a 
summons  to  the  American  general  to  surrender,  stating  that 
he  should  otherwise  be  unable  to  restrain  the  fury  of  the 
savages.  This  was  answered  by  a  spirited  refusal,  and  a 
declaration  that  the  fort  and  town  would  be  defended  to  the 
last  extremity.  The  firing  from  the  batteries  and  the  fort  im 
mediately  commenced,  and  continued  with  little  interruption, 
and  without  much  effect,  until  the  next  day.  The  alarm  and 
consternation  of  General  Hull  had  now  become  extreme,  and 
appeared  in.  a  series  of  irregular  and  incoherent  measures. 
On  the  12th  the  field  officers,  suspecting  the  general  intended 
a  surrender  of  the  fort,  had  determined  on  his  arrest.  This 
was  prevented  in  consequence  of  Colonels  McArthur  and  Cass, 
two  very  active,  intelligent,  and  spirited  officers,  being  detached 
on  the  13th,  with  four  hundred  men,  on  a  third  expedition  to 
the  river  Raisin.  They  advanced  about  fourteen  miles,  when, 
on  the  15th,  they  received  orders  to  return.  At  daylight  on 
the  16th  the  British  troops  commenced  crossing  the  river  at 
Spring  Wells,  three  miles  below  the  town,  under  cover  of  two 
ships  of  war.  They  accomplished  their  landing  by  seven 
o'clock  without  opposition,  and  took  up  their  line  of  march  in 
close  columns  of  platoons,  twelve  in  front,  towards  the  fort 
along  the  bank  of  the  river.  The  fourth  regiment  of  United 
States  troops  was  stationed  in  the  fort ;  the  Ohio  volunteers 
and  a  part  of  the  Michigan  militia  behind  the  pickets,  in  a 
situation  where  the  whole  flank  of  the  enemy  would  have  been 
exposed.  The  residue  of  the  militia  were  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  town  to  resist  the  incursions  of  the  savages.  Two 
twenty-four  pounders  loaded  with  grape  were  posted  on  a  com 
manding  eminence  ready  to  sweep  the  advancing  columns. 


504  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


DETROIT. 


Colonels  McArthur  and  Cass  bad  arrived  within  view  of  Detroit 
ready  to  act  on  the  rear  of  the  enemy.  In  this  situation  the 
troops  waited  in  eager  expectation  the  advance  of  the  British, 
anticipating  a  brilliant  victory.  When  the  head  of  the  British 
columns  had  advanced  within  five  hundred  yards  of  the  line,  and 
the  artillery  ready  to  sweep  their  ranks,  orders  were  given  for 
the  troops  to  retire  into  the  fort  and  for  the  artillery  not  to 
fire.  A  white  flag  was  hoisted.  A  British  officer  rode  up  to 
inquire  the  cause.  A  communication  passed  between  the 
commanding  generals,  which  soon  ended  in  a  capitulation. 
The  fortress  of  Detroit,  with  all  the  public  stores,  property, 
and  documents  of  every  kind,  were  surrendered.  The  troops 
were  made  prisoners  of  war.  The  detachment  under  McArthur 
and  Cass,  and  the  troops  at  the  river  Raisin,  were  included  in 
the  capitulation.  On  the  17th  General  Brock  despatched  a 
flag  to  Captain  Brush  with  the  terms.  lie  immediately  called 
a  council  of  his  officers,  who  determined  that  they  were  not 
bound  by  the  capitulation,  and  advised  to  break  up  the  camp 
and  return.  In  pursuance  of  their  advice,  Captain  Brush 
immediately  broke  up  his  canip,  took  with  him  what  public 
stores  and  property  he  could,  and  commenced  his  retreat  to 
Ohio.  The  Michigan  militia  who  had  not  joined  the  army 
were  paroled,  on  condition  of  not  serving  during  the  present 
war.  No  provision  was  made  for  the  unfortunate  Canadians 
who  had  joined  General  Hull,  or  accepted  hjs  protection. 
They  were  left  exposed  to  suffer  as  traitors  ;  nine  were  executed 
at  one  time,  and  several  more  afterwards.  General  Hull  in 
this  measure  took  counsel  only  from  his  own  fears.  He  held  no 
council  of  war,  knowing  that  all  his  officers  would  be  opposed 
to  the  surrender.  In  his  official  report  he  expressly  exempts 
them  from  any  share  in  the  disgraceful  transaction. 

"  The  British  force  at  Maiden  at  the  time  General  Hull  entered 
Canada,  and  until  the  12th  of  August,  consisted  of  one  hun 
dred  regular  troops,  four  hundred  Canadian  militia,  and  several 
hundred  Indians.  After  the  arrival  of  General  Brock  with 
his  reinforcements,  the  whole  amounted  to  three  hundred  and 
thirty  regulars,  four  hundred  militia,  and  six  hundred  Indians. 
The  troops  surrendered  by  General  Hull  amounted  to  twenty- 
five  hundred,  consisting  of  two  troops  of  cavalry,  one  company 
of  artillery,  the  fourth  United  States  regiment,  and  detach 
ments  from  the  first  and  third ;  three  regiments  of  Ohio  volun 
teers,  and  one  regiment  of  Michigan  militia,  amounting  to 
about  twelve  hundred.  By  this  capitulation  the  British  ob- 


IN   NORTH  AMERICA.  505 


tained  2500  muskets  stacked  on  the  esplanade  at  the  time  of 
the  surrender,  450  brought  in  by  the  detachment  under 
McArthur  and  Cass,  700  received  from  the  Michigan  militia, 
thirty-three  pieces  of  ordnance,  one  thousand  rounds  of  fixed 
ammunition,  200  tons  of  ball,  200  cartridges  of  grape  shot, 
75,000  musket  cartridges  made  up,  24  rounds  in  the  possession 
of  each  man,  60  barrels  of  gunpowder,  150  tons  of  lead,  pro 
visions  for  the  army  for  twenty -five  days  in  the  fort,  and  a  large 
escort  at  the  river  Raisin. 

"An  event  so  disgraceful  to  the  American  arms  did  not  fail 
to  excite  universal  indignation.  When  McArthur's  sword  was 
demanded,  he  indignantly  broke  it,  tore  the  epaulets  from  his 
shoulders,  and  threw  himself  on  the  ground.  As  soon  as 
General  Hull  was  exchanged,  a  court-martial  was  ordered  upon 
his  conduct,  and  held  at  Albany  on  the  3d  of  January,  1814. 
He  was  tried,  convicted,  and  sentenced  to  death,  but  pardoned 
on  account  of  his  former  services." 


WISCONSIN. 


MILWAUKIE. 

THIS  city  is  situated  on  both  sides  of  Milwaukie  river,  near 
its  entrance  into  Lake  Michigan,  and  may  be  reached  by  steam 
boat  from  Chicago,  during  the  season  of  navigation.  Its  growth 
has  been  even  more  rapid  than  that  of  Chicago,  and  owing  to 
the  same  causes }  its  fine  commercial  situation  and  the  richness 
of  the  country  for  which  it  is  the  outlet.  In  June,  1846,  its 
population  was  11,508.  In  1850,  it  had  more  than  doubled. 
The  region  of  which  Milwaukie  is  the  outlet  is  said  to  be  equal 
or  superior  to  any  in  the  United  States  for  the  growth  of  grain. 
Several  large  flouring  mills  have  been  put  in  operation  in  Mil 
waukie  within  the  last  few  years,  and  their  manufacture  is 
extensive.  The  city  contains  some  fine  hotels,  which  offer 
good  accommodation  to  travellers. 


PRAIRIE  DU  CHIEN. 

This  town  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  Mississippi,  just 
above  the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin  river.  Many  years  ago  a 
trading-post  was  established  here,  and  the  settlement  gradually 
clustered  around  it.  It  will  doubtless  become  a  place  of  im 
portance.  Various  interesting  historical  events  have  occurred 
at  Prairie  du  Chien.  Here  was  the  scene  of  the  celebrated 
interview  between  the  warrior  Black  Hawk  and  General  Street. 
Black  Hawk's  people  had  been  defeated  with  great  slaughter 
by  the  United  States  troops. 

On  the  27th  of  August,  1832,  at  about  eleven  o'clock,  A.  M., 
two  Winnebago  Indians,  Docorie,  called  the  One-eyed,  and 
Chaetar,  arrived  in  camp  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  bringing  Black 
Hawk  and  the  prophet,  as  prisoners. 

The  One-eyed,  in  a  speech  to  General  Street,  said : 

"  We  have  done  as  you  told  us.  We  always  do  as  you  tell 
506 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  507 

PRAIRIE    DU    CHIEN. 

us  because  we  know  it  is  for  our  good.  You  told  us  to  bring 
them  to  you  alive :  we  have  done  so.  If  you  had  told  us  to 
bring  their  heads  alone,  we  should  have  done  so.  We  want 
you  to  keep  them  safe.  If  they  are  to  be  hurt,  we  do  not 
want  to  see  it.  Wait  until  we  are  gone  before  you  do  it.  We 
know  you  are  our  friend,  because  you  take  our  part;  and  that 
is  the  reason  why-  we  do  what  you  tell  us  to  do.  You  say  you 
love  your  red  children.  We  think  we  love  you  as  much,  if  not 
more,  than  you  love  us.  We  have  confidence  in  you,  and  you 
may  rely  on  us.  We  have  been  promised'  a  great  deal  if  we 
would  take  these  men ;  that  it  would  do  much  good  to  our 
people.  We  now  hope  to  see  what  will  be  done  for  us.  We 
now  put  these  men  into  your  hands.  We  have  done  all  that 
you  told  us  to  do." 

To  this  affectionate  speech  General  Street  replied. 

Chaetar,  the  other  Winnebago  orator,  next  made  a  speech  j 
and  last,  though  not  least,  Black  Hawk  himself,  in  which,  if 
the  speech  is  correctly  reported,  lie  puts  all  his  contemporaries 
to  the  blush.  He  says,  among  other  things  :  "  My  warriors 
fell  around  me ;  it  began  to  look  dismal.  I  saw  my  evil  day 
at  hand.  The  sun  rose  clear  on  us  in  the  morning,  and  at 
night  it  sank  in  a  dark  cloud  and  looked  like  a  ball  of  fire. 
This  was  the  last  sun  that  shone  on  Black  Hawk.  He  is  now 
a  prisoner  to  the  white  man.  But  he  can  stand  the  torture. 
He  is  not  afraid  of  death.  He  is  no  coward.  Black  Hawk  is 
an  Indian ;  he  has  done  nothing  of  which  an  Indian  need  to 
be  ashamed.  He  has  fought  the  battles  of  his  country  against 
the  white  men,  who  came  year  after  year  to  cheat  them  and  take 
away  their  lands.  You  know  the  cause  of  our  making  war — it 
is  known  to  all  white  men — they  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  it. 
The  white  men  despise  the  Indians,  and  drive  them  from  their 
homes.  But  the  Indians  are  not  deceitful.  The  white  men 
speak  bad  of  the  Indian,  and  look  at  him  spitefully.  But  the 
Indian  does  not  tell  lies ;  Indians  do  not  steal.  Black  Hawk 
is  satisfied.  He  will  go  to  the  world  of  spirits  contented.  He 
has  done  his  duty — his  Father  will  meet  him  and  reward  him. 

"  The  white  men  do  not  scalp  the  head,  but  they  do  worse, 
they  poison  the  heart :  it  is  not  pure  with  them.  His  coun 
trymen  will  not  be  scalped,  but  they  will  in  a  few  years  be 
come  like  the  white  men,  so  that  you  cannot  hurt  them ;  and 
there  must  be,  as  in  the  white  settlements,  nearly  as  many 
officers  as  men,  to  take  care  of  them  and  keep  them  in  order. 
Farewell  to  my  nation  !  Farewell  to  Black  Hawk !" 


508  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 


BURLINGTON. 


It  ought  not,  perhaps,  to  excite  surprise,  that  the  author  of 
such  a  speech — "  the  king  of  the  woods" — should  have  been 
caressed  on  his  eastern  tour  through  the  Atlantic  States,  ex 
torting  the  smile  of  approbation  as  he  passed  from  friends  and 
foes. 


IOWA. 


BURLINGTON. 

BURLINGTON,  formerly  the  capital  of  Iowa,  is  finely  situated 
upon  the  Mississippi.  It  was  laid  out  in  1834,  and  has  been 
for  a  long  time  the  largest  and  most  bustling  place  in  the 
state.  The  seat  of  government  was  removed  to  Iowa  City  in 
1839.  Burlington  was  formerly  the  residence  of  Black  Hawk, 
and  his  bones  now  rest  within  its  limits.  There  are  several 
other  flourishing  towns  in  Iowa,  the  principal  of  which  are 
Blooinington,  containing  about  2,000  inhabitants,  and  Iowa 
City,  now  the  capital  of  the  state. 


MISSOURI. 


ST.  LOUIS. 

ST.  Louis  is  the  chief  town  of  Missouri,  and  the  largest 
and  most  commercial  place  west  of  the  Mississippi.  It  is 
situated  18  miles,  by  water,  below  the  junction  of  the  Mis 
souri  ;  30  miles  below  that  of  the  Illinois,  200  above  the 
Ohio,  1180  above  New  Orleans,  and  897  from  Washington. 
Mr.  Flint  thus  speaks  of  it.  "  Nature  seldom  offers  a  more 
delightful  site  for  a  town.  In  many  respects,  it  resembles 
that  of  Albany,  in  New  York.  It  is  on  a  kind  of  second 
bottom,  that  rises  gently  from  the  water  to  a  second  bank. 
The  ascent  to  this  is  not  at  all  precipitous.  Having  sur 
mounted  this  bank,  an  extensive  plain  opens  to  view.  In  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  town,  this  plain  is  covered  with 
bushes  and  shrub  oaks.  Beyond  is  an  extensive  belt  of 
grassy  plain,  or  naked  prairie.  The  timber  within  nine  or 
ten  miles,  has  been  cut  away  for  fuel.  In  summer,  the  eye 
reposes  with  pleasure  upon  this  sweep  of  verdure,  bounded 
on  the  verge  of  the  horizon  with  forests.  But  in  winter  the 
prospect  is  bleak  and  desolate.  The  eye  always  dwells  with 
delight  upon  the. level  bottom  and  the  noble  forest  upon  the 
opposite  shore  of  the  river.  In  1814  there  were  but  few 
American  houses  in  the  place.  There  were  a  few  stone 
houses  covered  with  plaster.  The  circular  stone  forts  be 
yond  the  town,  white  vvith  plaster  and  the  hoariness  of  age, 
together  with  the  whiteness  of  the  houses  in  general,  from 
the  French  fashion  of  annual  whitewashing,  gave  the  town  a 
romantic  and  imposing  appearance,  when  seen  from  a  dis 
tance.  With  the  exception  of  two  or  three  aristocratic  es 
tablishments,  when  contemplated  near  at  hand,  the  houses 
were  mean,  frail  and  uncomfortable  establishments.  The 
streets  were  narrow  and  dirty,  and  it  was,  in  fact,  a  disagree 
able  town.  A  new  impulse  was  given  to  the  town  by  Amer 
ican  laws,  enterprise,  and  occupancy;  and  its , recent  rapid 
growth  would  seem  to  indicate  that  it  is  destined  to  hold  an 
enviable  rank  amonj*  the  larger  class  of  cities. 

509 


510  TRAVELS  AND    SKETCHES 


ST.    LOUIS. 


The  thickly-settled  parts  of  St.  Louis  expend  a  mile  and  a 
half  along  the  river,  with  half  that  breadth.  Front  street  is 
open  on  the  side  towards  the  river,  and  on  the  other  side  is  a 
range  of  warehouses,  four  stories  high,  built  of  limestone, 
which  have  a  very  commanding  appearance,  and  are  the  seat 
of  a  large  business.  In  First  street,  the  wholesale  and  retail 
dry  goods  stores  are  located ;  and  in  the  streets  immediately 
back  of  this  are  the  artisans  and  tradesmen.  It  contains  many 
neat  and  some  elegant  buildings.  The  more  recent  houses 
are  built  of  brick,  of  an  excellent  quality,  made  in  the  imme 
diate  vicinity;  some  are  of  stone,  quarried  on  the  spot,  and 
are  generally  whitewashed.  Many  of  the  residences,  particu 
larly  in  the  back  parts  of  the  place,  have  spacious  and  beau 
tiful  gardens  attached  to  them. 

There  are  several  respectable,  and  even  elegant  public 
buildings  :  the  City  Hall  belongs  to  this  class :  it  is  of  brickj; 
the  basement  is  occupied  as  a  market.  There  is  another 
market  in  the  north  part  of  the  city. — The  Court  House  is  in 
the  middle  of  a  public  square,  near  the  centre  of  the  city ;  the 
Presbyterian  church  occupies  an  eligible  site  on  the  high 
ground  of  the  city,  and  is  a  large  and  well-finished  building, 
surrounded  with  ornamental  trees.  The  Unitarians  have  a 
large  church,  of  tasteful  architecture.  The  Roman  Catholic 
cathedral  is  a  large  and  splendid  edifice:  in  its  steeple  is  a 
peal  of  six  bells,  the  three  largest  of  which  weigh  from  1,600 
to  2,000  pounds  each  :  the  front  of  the  building  is  of  polished 
freestone,  with  a  portico  of  four  massive  Doric  columns  ;  the 
interior  is  splendidly  finished  and  furnished,  and  contains 
several  elegant  paintings  by  celebrated  masters.  The  city 
now  has  between  twenty  and  thirty  churches.  There  is  a 
United  States'  Land  Office,  a  theatre,  and  a  concert-hall. 
There  are  also  several  literary  and  benevolent  institutions  in 
the  city.  The  St.  Louis  University,  under  the  direction  of 
the  Roman  Catholics,  has  a  spacious  building,  which  cost 
$30,000.  The  Western  Academy  of  Science  has  an  exten 
sive  museum  of  natural  history,  mineralogy,  &c.,  and  is  in  a 
condition  which  affords  flattering  prospects  of  its  future  use 
fulness  and  prosperity;  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  several 
other  thriving  schools  and  academies. 

Whoever  observes  the  position  of  St.  Louis,  will  see  that  it 
is  very  favorable  for  its  becoming  a  town  of  supply  of  merchan 
dise  to  a  vast  tract  of  country.  In  the  centre  of  the  Missis 
sippi  valley,  commanding  the  trade  of  Missouri,  the  Upper  Mis- 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  511 


ST.    LOUIS. 


sissippi,  and  the  Illinois,  the  capital  of  a  very  extensive  fur 
trade,  and  the  depot  for  as  rich  lead  mines  as  are  in  the 
world,  it  must  necessarily  become  a  large  town.  It  has  one 
obvious  advantage  over  any  town  on  the  Ohio.  Steamboats 
can  come  to  St.  Louis  from  New  Orleans,  at  the  lowest 
stages  of  the  water.  It  is  very  common  for  travellers  from 
the  Atlantic  country,  who  are  bound  in  the  autumn  to  New 
Orleans,  to  take  passage  from  Cincinnati,  across  the  country, 
to  St.  Louis,  in  order  to  avail  themselves  of  the  advantage 
of  a  direct  passage  to  New  Orleans  in  a  steamboat.  The 
lovvness  of  the  water  in  the  Ohio,  and  the  difficulty  of  pass 
ing  over  the  falls  at  Louisville,  render  a  direct  steamboat 
passage  from  Cincinnati  to  New  Orleans,  at  that  season  of 
the  year,  an  uncommon  occurrence.  A  great  number  of 
keel  boats  and  river  crafts  of  all  descriptions,  bound  to  all 
points  of  the  boatable  waters  of  the  Mississippi,  are  seen  at 
all  seasons,  lying  in  the  harbor  of  St.  Louis.  Miners,  trap 
pers,  hunters,  adventurers,  emigrants,  and  people  of  all 
characters  and  languages,  with  all  kinds  of  views  and  objects, 
meet  here,  and  in  pursuit  of  their  various  projects,  scatter 
hence  to  the  remotest  points  of  the  valley.  It  still  furnishes 
a  temporary  home  to  desperate  and  abandoned  characters, 
who  hope,  in  crossing  the  Mississippi,  to  fly  beyond  law 
and  conscience.  The  character  of  the  permanent  inhabit 
ants  is  respectable.  Good  regulations  of  every  sort  are  ad 
vancing.  The  Sabbath  is  respected  ;  and  a  wholesome  po 
lice  is  establishing.  Such  a  stream  of  emigrants  is  contin 
ually  pouring  in,  and  the  people  have  so  learned  the  habit 
of  distrust,  that  hospitality  to  strangers  is  not  a  character 
istic  of  the  people."  *  The  population  in  1850  was  64;252. 

*  Flint's  Geography. 


CALIFORNIA. 


THE  ROUTE. 

HAVING  now  visited  the  principal  cities  of  North  America, 
we  will  try  a  trip  to  the  El  Dorado  of  our  times,  California. 
Such  a  trip,  if  properly  pursued,  is  one  of  the  most  attractive 
and  instructive  that  can  be  undertaken,  and  happily,  from  the 
increase  of  travelling  facilities,  it  is  brought  within  the  reach 
of  moderate  wealth  and  little  leisure. 

The  route  to  California  which  is  most  travelled  is  that  by 
way  of  the  isthmus  of  Panama.  A  line  of  first-class  steam 
ships  convey  freight  and  passengers  from  New  York  to  Chagres, 
a  small  town  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Chagres  river,  on 
the  isthmus.  During  this  voyage,  passengers  have  many  fine 
views  of  the  West  India  islands,  and  some  of  their  great  ports. 
From  Chagres,  which  contains  nothing  attractive  but  the  old 
Spanish  castle  which  commanded  the  entrance  to  the  har 
bour,  the  traveller  proceeds  in  steamboats  up  the  Chagres 
river  to  the  town  of  Crucis.  The  shores  of  this  river  are  de 
scribed  as  presenting  all  the  glory  and  fairy-land  enchantment 
of  tropical  luxuriance.  Groves  of  orange-trees  and  magnificent 
flowering  shrubs  perfume  the  air  and  delight  the  eye,  while 
the  warble  and  trill  of  birds  of  dazzling  plumage  fill  the  ear 
with  music.  At  Crucis,  mules  are  provided,  and  travellers 
proceed  upon  a  very  rugged  and  wearisome  road  toward  Panama 
upon  the  Pacific  coast.  Much  of  the  scenery  along  the  road 
is  grand,  but  the  dangers  of  the  mountain  passes  and  the  diffi 
culties  of  the  ravines  distract  the  attention  of  the  traveller, 
and  cause  him  to  wish  for  his  journey's  end.  Panama  was 
formerly  a  Spanish  town  of  much  importance,  and  the  ruins 
of  the  walls,  cathedrals,  and  monasteries  are  picturesque  and 
possess  a  legendary  interest.  The  town  is  beautifully  situ 
ated  upon  a  lovely  bay,  whose  shores  are  walled  by  green 
and  far-stretching  hills.  It  contains  several  commodious 
hotels,  kept  by  Americans,  where  good  boarding  can  be  found. 
From  Panama,  travellers  proceed  in  steamships  to  San  Fran- 
512 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  515 


SAN    FRANCISCO. 


under  Spanish  rule,  was  to  attain  to  excellence  in  horseman 
ship  •  to  acquire  dexterity  in  the  use  of  the  lasso ;  to  become 
proficient  at  monte,  bill-cards,  and  nine-pins ;  and  to  become 
adepts  at  the  numerous  tricks  and  subtleties  peculiar  to  games 
where  skill  sometimes  is  made  to  counteract  a  run  of  ill-luck. 

"  So  engrossed  were  they  in  these  pursuits — the  majority  of 
them  frivolous — that  it  was  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  their 
missions  and  towns  should  be  gradually  deserted,  and  fall  into 
ruins;  at  once  a  standing  reproach  to  the  people  for  their 
negligence  and  effeminacy,  and  to  the  Mexican  Government 
for  its  supineness,  its  reckless,  narrow-minded  policy,  its  pre 
judices,  and  its  injustice.  In  the  hands  of  any  other  people, 
these  missions  might  and  would  have  been  made  the  legitimate 
instruments  of  improving  the  population,  and  of  ministering 
no  less  to  their  physical  necessities  than  to  their  spiritual  re 
quirements. 

"  Instead  of  becoming  the  nucleus  of  intrigues,  they  would 
have  been  converted  into  so  many  centres,  whence  would  have 
radiated  streams  of  intelligence  and  civilization,  which  must 
rapidly  have  changed  the  entire  aspect  of  the  country,  and  not 
less  powerfully  co-operated  to  develop  the  minds  of  the  people, 
and  elevate  their  character.  But,  under  the  blighting  tyranny 
of  the  Mexican  authorities,  progress  was  impossible;  San 
Francisco  could  never  have  become  a  city ;  and  the  lands  in 
its  immediate  vicinity  must  have  lain  waste  and  thinly  popu 
lated. 

"  The  discovery  of  the  gold  mines  has  done  at  once  for  San 
Francisco  what  it  was  reasonable  to  anticipate  time  only  could 
have  effected  ;  and  its  progress  in  importance  has  far  outstripped 
the  most  sanguine  expectations  which  could  be  based  upon  any 
hypothesis  hazarded  on  the  strength  of  its  admirable  position 
and  facilities  for  trade.  Nevertheless,  its  growth  seecns  un 
natural  ;  and,  looking  at  it  as  I  saw  it  then,  it  left  on  my  mind 
the  impression  of  instability,  so  marvellous  was  it  to  gaze  upon 
a  city  of  tents,  wood,  and  canvas,  starting  up  thus  suddenly, 
forming  but  a  halting-place  to  the  thousands  who  visited  it ; 
having  for  citizens  a  large  majority  of  gamblers  and  specu 
lators  j  and  presenting  of  civilization  but  the  rudest  outline 
and  some  of  its  worst  vices.  It  was  impossible,  indeed,  for  an 
observer  to  contemplate  San  Francisco  at  this  particular  pe 
riod  of  its  history,  and  not  to  feel  that  every  thing  about  it 
savoured  of  transition.  A  storm  or  a  fire  must  have  destroyed 
the  whole  in  a  few  hours ;  for  every  house,  shed,  or  tent,  had 


516  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

._. -^.        ^^    FRANCISCO. 

manifestly  been  constructed  merely  to  serve  the  end  of  the 
actual  occupier;  thcjr  were  all  adapted  for  trading,  but  not  a 
convenience  or  a  comfort  appertained  to  them,  to  indicate  a 
<lesire  or  an  intention  of  settlement.  Every  day  brought  new 
comers,  and  added  to  the  number  of  ephemeral  structures  which 
crowded  the  hill-sides.  Mechanics  of  every  description  of 
calling  were  at  work,  earnestly,  busily,  and  cheerfully  ;  and, 
whichever  way  I  turned  there  was  bustle  and  activity  ;  yet, 
withal,  I  felt  that  such  a  state  of  things  was  unsound,  because 
resting  on  what  was  essentially  speculative,  and  I  doubted  not 
but  a  great  change  must  come  before  the  city  could  be  regarded 
as  substantially  advancing.  Comprised  at  a  glance,  it  presented 
no  other  appearance  save  that  of  a  confused  crowd  of  tene 
ments  of  every  variety  of  construction  ;  some  high,  some  low, 
perched  upon  the  steep  hills,  or  buried  in  the  deep  valleys — 
but  still  tents  and  canvas  everywhere  and  anywhere,  their 
numbers  defying  calculation,  their  structure  and  position  all 
analysis.  There  existed  neither  wells  nor  ponds  within  a  very 
considerable  distance  ;  and  what  .struck  me  as  most  singular, 
being  aware  that  the  Spaniards  had  a  mi-siou  here,  there  was 
no  sign  of  a  church.  I  subsequently  ascertained  that  the  site 
of  the  Mission  of  Dolores,  about  five  miles  distant,  had  been 
preferred  by  the  Spaniards,  and  that  divine  service  was  per 
formed  there  still."* 

The  above  contains  the  impressions  and  observation  of  one 
who  visited  San  Francisco  in  1849,  soon  after  the  discovery 
of  the  golden  wealth  of  California.  From  that  time  until  the 
present,  the  city  has  rapidly  increased  in  size  and  population, 
and  in  spite  of  numerous  destructive  fires,  unhealthy  climate, 
and  want  of  water,  has  reached  a  high  degree  of  commercial 
wealth  and  prosperity.  The  population  in  the  rainy  season  of 
1850  amounted  to  about  50,000  souls.  Many  fine  streets 
have  been  laid  out,  and  handsome  buildings  erected,  while  the 
facilities  for  landing  merchandise  have  been  much  improved. 
The  great  centre  of  business  is  Portsmouth  Square,  or  the 
Grand  Plaza.  Here  are  to  be  found  the  chief  hotels  and 
the  largest  stores  and  depots.  All  is  hurry  and  bustle.  The 
"go  ahead"  principle  is  uppermost  in  most  of  the  population, 
and  is  understood  in  its  broadest  sense.  From  this  almost 
morbid  activity  arid  the  heterogeneous  character  of  the  popu 
lation,  we  might  expect  the  morality  of  California  to  be  unequal 

*  Ryan's  Personal  Adventures  in  California. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  519 


BEN1CIA   AND    SACRAMENTO. 


mento  river.  The  strong  and  rapid  current  encountered  here 
renders  the  remaining  fifty  miles  generally  very  tedious  ;  and 
the  stream  being  extremely  narrow,  vessels  frequently  run 
aground  ;  although  those  who  are  well  acquainted  with  the 
soundings  can  take  up  in  the  greatest  safety  a  craft  of  five 
hundred  tons  burden.  As  the  river  is  not  navigable  higher  up 
than  Sacramento  City,  boats  are  obliged  to  stop  here ;  but,  even 
were  it  practicable  for  boats,  the  miners  would  soon  find  it 
convenient  to  land,  as  in  its  further  course  the  stream  diverges 
somewhat  from  the  known  mining  districts.  From  Sacramento 
City,  the  adventurous  gold-hunters  proceed  to  the  "diggins"  of 
their  adoption,  with  their  horses,  mules,  and  teams,  or  by  any 
mode  of  conveyance  they  may  be  fortunate  enough  to  procure. 

Sacramento  is  situated  at  the  junction  of  the  American  Fork 
and  Sacramento  rivers,  and  is  distant  from  San  Francisco  about 
one  hundred  and  thirty  miles.  This  city  is  the  great  depot  of 
the  northern,  as  Stockton  is  of  the  southern  mines.  The  fol 
lowing  account  of  its  progress  and  condition  in  1849  is  given 
by  Ilyan  in  his  "  Personal  Adventures." 

"  Landing  is  very  difficult  at  Sacramento  City,  even  at  high 
water,  there  being  no  convenience  for  this  purpose  except  such 
as  is  afforded  by  a  single  plank  thrown  across  from  the  side  of 
the  vessel  to  the  bank,  while  at  low  water  the  mud  renders 
such  accommodation  as  this  wholly  useless.  Indeed,  a  super 
abundance  of  mud  is  a  characteristic  common  to  the  three  bays 
I  have  named,  the  deposit  extending  in  broad  flats  almost  en 
tirely  round  them.  In  San  Francisco  bay  they  predominate 
most  on  the  eastern  side. 

uAt  the  period  of  which  I  am  writing,  Sacramento  city 
might  have  numbered  about  four  hundred  dwellings,  including 
stores }  the  large  majority  of  these  consisted  of  sheds — so 
little  did  they  deserve  the  appellation  of  houses — constructed 
partly  of  wood,  partly  of  canvas,  among  which  might  be 
counted  half-a-dozen  of  good  frame  boarded  residences.  They 
seem  to  have  been  erected  with  some  pretension  to  regularity, 
as  they  form  streets,  running  parallel  and  at  right-angles  with 
the  river.  Most  of  them  are  trading  establishments,  about  a 
dozen  figuring  as  hotels,  and  a  large  proportion  of  the  re 
mainder  being  grog-shops;  in  fact,  to  speak  more  particularly, 
there  is  not  a  house  in  the  town  where  ardent  spirits  are  not 
retailed. 

"  The  principal  store  is  kept  by  a  Mormon,  who,  having 
arrived  in  the  country  and  settled  in  it  previous  to  the  discovery 


520  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 

; 

BENICIA    AND    SACRAMENTO. 

of  the  mines,  had  already  succeeded  in  amassing  a  large  for 
tune.  The  eating-houses — or  hotels,  as  they  are  somewhat 
pompously  called — do  a  most  extensive  business ;  for,  as  ap 
petites  less  frequently  fail  than  the  supplies  of  provisions, 
there  is  ample  opportunity  for  levying  heavy  contributions 
upon  the  hungry.  As  a  general  rule,  however,  the  charge  for 
board  and  lodging  is  nearly  the  same  as  at  San  Francisco, 
though  the  accommodation  is  bad  to  the  last  degree,  none  of 
these  eating  or  lodging-houses  containing  any  beds,  the  lodgers 
being  obliged  to  stretch  themselves  on  any  available  spot  of 
ground,  or  convenient  article  of  furniture.  The  influx  of 
strangers  is  so  great,  indeed,  that,  notwithstanding  the  rapidity 
with  which  these  ephemeral  dwellings  are  erected,  and  the  in 
numerable  tents  of  every  form  and  size  scattered  in  the  suburbs, 
the  population  is  far  in  excess  of  the  actual  conveniences  for 
its  reception. 

"  But,  although  Sacramento  City  offers  so  few  comforts  and 
attractions,  an  attempt  has  been  made  at  magnificence  in  the 
erection  of  a  handsome  tent — a  wall-tent,  as  it  is  commonly 
railed — of  a  circular  form,  having  perpendicular  sides,  and 
which  is  about  thirty  feet  in  diameter,  by  twenty-five  in  height, 
from  the  conical  top  of  which  floats  a  large  red  flag,  inscribed 
with  the  words,  '  Miners'  Exchange,'  in  large  letters.  Its  use 
is  admirably  illustrative  of  the  prevailing  spirit,  and  of  the 
marvellous  shrewdness  exhibited  by  speculators  in  taking  ad 
vantage  of  it.  It  is  furnished  within  with  six  or  eight  large 
gaming-tables,  each  of  which  is  let  out  at  the  nightly  rental 
of  twelve  dollars.  They  are  usually  crowded  to  inconvenience 
by  persons  who  come  to  try  their  fortune,  and  who  frequently 
lose  their  all  at  various  games  of  chance,  the  principal  being 
iitonte  and  rou</c-<t-noir. 

"This  establishment  was  started  by  two  individuals,  one  of 
them  a  mere  boy,  who  had  made  about  three  thousand  dollars 
at  the  'diggins';  the  other,  a  carpenter  from  San  Francisco, 
whose  services  and  experience  were  taken  into  consideration  in 
forming  the  partnership,  as  an  ample  set-off  against  the  capital 
of  the  principal.  The  concern  could  not  but  prove  highly 
lucrative,  as,  independently  of  the  rentals  from  the  gaming 
tables,  there  is  a  bur  established  inside,  opposite  the  door,  where 
large  profits  are  realized  upon  the  refreshments  sold  to  the 
players  and  strangers,  and  the  interior  of  which  is  rendered 
additionally  attractive  by  an  exhibition  of  caricatures,  chiefly 
of  the  miners  and  of  noted  characters,  intermixed  with  others 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  521 


BENICIA    AND    SACRAMENTO. 


of  a  different  class,  the  whole  being  intended  to  disguise  the 
nakedness  of  the  walls,  or  sides  rather. 

"  Ground-rents  range  excessively  high  ;  and  speculators  in 
land,  who  were  early  in  the  field,  and  commanded  capital,  have 
been  enabled  to  exact  enormous  sums  from  those  who  sought 
to  establish  themselves  on  particular  spots.-  Building-lots, 
measuring  about  25  feet  by  50,  were  worth  10,000  dollars,  and 
extremely  difficult  to  obtain  even  at  that  price ;  the  most 
eligible  localities  fetching  sums  which,  considering  their  extent, 
appeared  ruinous.  The  avidity  with  which  they  were  bought 
up,  however,  proved  that  the  purchasers  possessed  unlimited 
confidence  in  the  produce  of  the  mines  and  the  extravagance 
of  the  miners. 

"  In  short,  Sacramento  City  owes  its  growing  importance 
entirely  to  the  discovery  of  the  gold  mines,  and  to  its  admirable 
position  as  a  starting-point  to  the  upper  ones.  It  certainly  is 
not  a  desirable  dwelling-place  at  present,  whatever  it  may 
eventually  become,  though  it  admirably  serves  its  purpose, 
namely,  to  offer  to  the  vast  multitude  of  birds  of  passage  that 
flock  to  this  region  a  spot  where  they  may  find  a  temporary 
rest  for  the  soles  of  their  feet  ere  they  migrate  further  north. 
From  hence,  indeed,  oxen  and  mule-teams  are  constantly  travel 
ling  to  all  the  '  diggins/  and  every  available  mode  of  convey 
ance  seems  in  request ;  so  much  so,  that  only  lately  they  were 
charging  carriage  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  dollars  a  hundred 
weight  of  a  hundred  pounds ;  but  the  immense  overland  emi 
gration  introduced  so  many  teams,  that,  at  the  time  I  am  writing 
of,  it  had  come  down  to  twenty  dollars  for  the  same  load. 

"  I  may  add,  that  the  f  red  woods/  which  are  situated  to  the 
north-west  of  Pueblo  Bay,  constitute  a  remarkable  and  an 
agreeable  feature  in  the  landscape.  They  are  of  great  extent, 
and,  previously  to  the  discovery  of  the  gold  mines,  supplied 
the  natives  with  the  chief  part  of  the  timber  they  used.  But 
they  were  also  notorious  as  the  resort  of  robbers  and  deserters 
of  every  description,  who  here  carried  on  their  lawless  prac 
tices  secure  against  pursuit,  adding  to  their  unlawful  gains  by 
the  more  honest  recompense  they  received  for  sawing  and 
felling  timber." 

Since  the  above  was  written,  Sacramento  has  become  a  city 
of  nearly  10,000  inhabitants,  and  its  progress  is  still  rapid. 
It  is  the  terminus  of  the  overland  emigration,  which,  in  the 
fall,  swells  its  population  considerably.  The  city  now  contains 
several  large  hotels,  and  many  handsome  stores  and  residences. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  523 


THE    SEA-COAST    TOWNS. 


THE  SEA-COAST  TOWNS. 

Monterey,  formerly  the  capital  of  California,  is  one  of  the 
best  built  and  most  important  towns  in  the  state.  The  bay  on 
which  the  town  is  situated  is  large,  extending  northeast  some 
eighteen  or  twenty  miles,  but,  being  shallow,  does  not  afford 
much  protection  to  vessels.  The  harbour  is  not  more  than  a 
mile  in  length,  and  is  formed  by  piles  of  rocks  jutting  into  the 
sea.  The  town  is  surrounded  with  lofty  hills,  thickly  covered 
with  lofty  pines  and  stunted  oaks.  The  view  of  the  town  and 
vicinity  from  a  vessel  in  the  bay  is  really  beautiful.  Before 
the  territory  was  ceded  to  the  United  States,  the  town  was 
small  and  badly  built.  But  American  enterprise  has  changed 
its  aspect  and  infused  new  life  into  the  population. 

The  other  towns  on  the  coast  are  Santa  Barbara,  San  Juan, 
and  San  Diego.  Santa  Barbara  and  San  Juan  have  grown  up 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  old  missions.  Both  are  beautifully  situated, 
and  yet  neither  have  good  harbours  or  much  trade.  They  re 
tain  their  old  Spanish  characteristics  in  population  and  build 
ings.  The  people  think  more  of  horse-riding,  attending  fan 
dangoes,  and  gambling,  than  of  making  money  and  improving 
their  towns.  The  climate  of  Santa  Barbara  has  been  the 
theme  of  eulogy,  and  the  soil  of  the  neighbouring  country  is 
remarkably  fertile.  So  that,  as  a  place  of  residence,  it  is 
superior  to  any  town  in  California,  except  the  "  City  of  the 
Angels." 

Han  Diego  is  situated  on  the  coast  near  the  line  which  sepa 
rates  the  state  from  the  peninsula.  It  has  a  fine  harbour, 
which  is  better  sheltered  than  any  on  the  coast,  except  that  of 
Sari  Francisco.  Quite  an  extensive  trade  is  here  carried  on  in 
hides  and  tallow,  articles  of  which  the  neighbouring  country 
furnishes  great  abundance.  The  town  has  become  American 
ized  since  the  discovery  of  the  gold  mines ;  the  bustle  of  busi 
ness  has  taken  the  place  of  indolence,  and  progress  is  the  con 
sequence.  The  old  residents  have  become  initiated  in  the  ways 
of  enterprise  and  exertion,  and  their  condition  is  therefore 
much  improved. 


524  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

ri  I  IM.o    I'K.    LOS    ANGKLES. 

PUEBLO  DE  LOS  ANGELES. 

The  "City  of  the  Angels,"  was  the  capital  of  California 
when  the  territory  came  into  the  possession  of  the  United 
States,  and  by  far  the  most  populous  town.  It  is  situated 
about  thirty  miles  from  the  coast,  and  at  the  end  of  a  plain 
i unity-five  miles  in  width.  Here  are  concentrated  the  aris 
tocracy  of  the  old  California  families,  and  their  handsome  resi 
dences,  gardens,  and  vineyards  make  the  city  and  its  vicinity 
beautiful  indeed.  The  climate  is  mild  and  healthful — tourists 
have  described  it  as  equal  to  that  of  Spain  and  Italy.  The 
habits  and  manners  of  the  mass  of  the  population  are  those 
of  the  people  of  old  Spain,  with  the  addition  of  one  or  two 
customs  unknown  in  that  country.  The  men  are  inveterate 
gamblers,  many  of  them  staking  all  their  property  upon  the 
result  of  the  favourite  game  of  monte.  They  are  also  ex 
cessively  fond  of  horsemanship,  and  pride  themselves  upon  the 
possession  of  the  finest  horses.  The  majority  seem  to  live 
chiefly  for  amusement,  and  to  look  upon  the  duties  of  more 
energetic  people  as  things  of  secondary  importance.  Yet  they 
pay  great  attention  to  religious  ceremonies,  and  a  summons  to 
mass  will  check  their  wildest  pleasures.  The  vineyards  be 
longing  to  the  more  wealthy  OUifoiuiana  are  very  profitable. 
Good  wine  is  abundant  and  cheap.  Los  Angeles  has  felt  the 
inspiriting  influence  of  American  enterprise,  and  its  trade  has 
much  increased.  But  it  will  be  long  before  the  essential 
features  of  the  character  of  the  population  are  changed. 


THE  MINES. 

The  gold  region  of  California  is  about  six  hundred  miles 
long  and  sixty  miles  wide.  This  district  is  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  rivers,  and  their  numerous 
branches,  and  extends  from  the  Sierra  Nevada  range,  westward. 
It  is  beyond  doubt  the  richest  region  in  the  world. 

The  discovery  of  the  gold  was  accidental.  For  many  years 
Captain  Sutter  had  maintained  a  ranche  and  fort  in  the  imme 
diate  vicinity  of  streams  flowing  over  golden  beds,  and  yet  had 
no  thought  of  the  wealth  within  his  reach.  But  in  May,  1848, 
while  some  persons  in  his  service  were  digging  out  a  mill-race 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  525 

THE    MINES. 

near  the  American  Fork  of  the  Sacramento,  they  were  asto 
nished  to  find  gold  among  the  sand  thrown  up.  It  was  impos 
sible  to  keep  the  discovery  secret.  It  flew  from  mouth  to 
mouth,  and  in  a  short  time  the  banks  of  the  river  near  Slitter's 
Fort  swarmed  with  gold  washers.  The  news  reached  the  large 
towns,  and  the  inhabitants  almost  deserted  them.  It  reached 
the  United  States,  and  soon  every  road  to  the  gold  region  was 
thronged  with  anxious  and  hurrying  crowds.  The  population 
of  the  country  increased  at  an  unprecedented  rate.  Every 
fresh  discovery  gave  impetus  to  immigration.  It  may  be  safely 
asserted  that  more  than  fifty  million  dollars  worth  of  gold  had 
been  obtained  in  California  at  the  commencement  of  the  present 
year,  1851. 

A  short  view  of  life  in  the  mines  and  of  the  processes  of 
obtaining  the  precious  metal  may  not  be  uninteresting.  Mr. 
W.  R.  Ryan,  the  tourist  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  the  fol 
lowing  graphic  account  of  a  visit  to  the  Stanislaus  mine,  (near 
the  Stanislaus  river,)  was  in  California  a  short  time  after  the 
gold  discovery. 

"  The  mine  was  a  deep  ravine,  embosomed  amid  lofty  hills, 
surmounted  by  and  covered  with  pine,  and  having,  in  the 
bottom  itself,  abundance  of  rock,  mud,  and  sand.  I  consulted 
with  my  companion  and  urged  upon  him  the  prudence  of  our 
setting  to  work  to  construct  ourselves  a  sort  of  log  cabin ; 
otherwise  I  felt  certain,  from  the  experience  of  the  past  night, 
our  sojourn  at  the  mines  would  be  likely  to  prove  fatal  to  one 
or  both  of  us.  He  was,  however,  far  too  eager  to  try  his  for 
tune  at  digging  to  listen  to  my  proposal,  at  which  he  even 
smiled,  probably  at  the  bare  idea  of  weather,  privation,  or  toil 
being  able  to  affect  his  powerful  frame.  I  saw  him  presently 
depart  up  the  ravine,  shouldering  a  pick,  and  glancing  now  and 
then  at  his  knife,  while  I  proceeded  in  search  of  materials  for 
constructing  a  temporary  place  of  shelter. 

"  As  my  strength  was  unequal  to  the  task  of  felling  timber, 
I  endeavoured  to  procure  four  poles,  intending  to  sink  them 
into  the  ground,  and  to  stretch  on  the  top  of  them  a  bed-tick  I 
had  reserved  for  the  purpose.  The  contrivance  was  a  sorry 
one  at  the  best,  but  shelter  was  indispensable ;  and  great  was 
my  disappointment — though  I  procured  the  timber  after  a 
painful  search — to  find  that  the  rocks  presented  an  insuperable 
obstacle  to  my  employing  it  as  I  intended.  My  efforts  to  sink 
the  poles  proved  utterly  futile,  and  I  was  at  last  compelled  to 
renounce  the  attempt  in  despair.  I  then  packed  up  our  goods 


526  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

THE   MINES. 

into  as  close  a  compass  as  possible,  and,  having  requested  one 
of  the  Spaniards  in  Don  Emanuel's  party  to  keep  watch  over 
them,  departed  to  explore  the  ravine. 

"  Within  a  few  paces  of  our  encampment  there  was  a  large 
area  of  ground,  probably  half-a-mile  square,  the  surface  of 
which  consisted  of  dark  soil  and  slate,  and  was  indented 
with  innumerable  holes  of  every  possible  dimension,  from  six 
inches  to  as  many  feet  or  more,  wide  and  deep.  In  all  of 
these  lay  abundance  of  water,  of  which  large  quantities  are  to 
be  found  a  little  beneath  the  surface,  the  ravine  being  supplied 
with  it  in  great  abundance  by  the  rains  that  pour  down  from 
the  hills  during  the  wet  season.  To  the  extreme  right  of  our 
camp,  the  ground  assumed  a  more  rocky  character ;  and,  from 
the  vast  deposit  of  stagnant  water,  did  not  seem  to  offer  many 
attractions  to  the  miners.  Yet  there  was  scarcely  a  spot  in 
any  of  these  places  where  the  crowbar,  the  pick,  or  the  jack- 
knife,  had  not  been  busy  :  evidence  that  th«  whole  locality 
must  have  been  extremely  rich  in  the  precious  metal,  or  it 
would  not  have  been  so  thoroughly  worked. 

"In  crossing  the  ravine,  I  was  obliged  to  leap  from  one 
mound  of  earth  to  another,  to  avoid  plunging  ankle-deep  in 
mud  and  water.  It  was  wholly  deserted  in  this  part,  though 
formerly  so  much  frequented;  and,  with  the  exception  of  a 
few  traders,  who,  having  taken  up  their  station  here  when 
times  were  good,  had  not  yet  made  arrangements  for  removing 
to  a  more  productive  place,  not  a  soul  was  to  be  seen. 

"Proceeding  higher  up  the  ravine,  I  observed  a  large  tent 
erected  on  the  slope  of  a  hill,  within  a  few  yards  of  the  bottom, 
where  the  gold  is  usually  found.  It  was  surrounded  by  a 
trench,  the  clay  from  which,  as  it  was  dug  up,  had  apparently 
been  thrown  out  against  the  canvas,  forming  a  kind  of  em 
bankment,  rendering  it  at  once  water  and  weather-proof.  I 
ventured  into  it,  encountering  on  my  way  an  immense  piece 
of  raw  beef,  suspended  from  the  ridge-pole.  Upon  some  stones 
in  front,  enclosing  a  small  fire,  stood  a  frying-pan,  filled  with 
rich-looking  beef  collops,  that  set  my  mouth  watering  and  se 
verely  tested  my  honesty ;  for  although  acorns  are  all  very 
well  in  their  way,  and  serve  to  stay  the  cravings  of  the  stomach 
for  awhile,  I  did  not  find  my  appetite  any  the  less  sharp,  not 
withstanding  the  cjuantity  1  had  eaten.  But  I  resisted  the 
temptation,  and  penetrated  further  into  the  tent.  At  one  side 
of  it  lay  a  crowbar,  and  an  old  saddle  that  had  seen  rough 
service ;  yet  not  a  soul  appeared. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  527 

THE    MINES. 

"I  came  up  next  with  a  group  of  three  Sonoreans,  or  inhabit 
ants  of  Sonora,  busily  engaged  on  a  small  sandy  flat — the  only 
one  I  had  observed — at  the  bottom  of  the  ravine.  There  was 
no  water  near,  although  I  noticed  several  holes  which  had  evi 
dently  been  sunk  in  quest  of  it.  These  men  were  actively 
pursuing  a  process  that  is  termed  l  dry-washing.'  One  was 
shovelling  up  the  sand  into  a  large  cloth,  stretched  out  upon 
the  ground,  and  which,  when  it  was  tolerably  well  covered,  he 
took  up  by  the  corners,  and  shook  until  the  pebbles  and  larger 
particles  of  stone  and  dirt  came  to  the  surface.  These  he 
brushed  away  carefully  with  his  hand,  repeating  the  process  of 
shaking  and  clearing  until  the  residue  was  sufficiently  fine  for 
the  next  operation.  This  was  performed  by  the  other  men, 
who,  depositing  the  sand  in  large  bowls  hewn  out  of  a  solid 
block  of  wood,  which  they  held  in  their  hands,  dexterously 
cast  the  contents  up  before  them,  about  four  feet  into  the  air, 
catching  the  sand  again  very  cleverly,  and  blowing  at  it  as  it 
descended.  This  process  being  repeated,  the  sand  gradually 
disappeared ;  and  from  two  to  three  ounces  of  pure  gold  re 
mained  at  the  bottom  of  the  bowl.  Easy  as  the  operation 
appeared  to  me  to  be,  I  learned  upon  inquiry,  that  to  perform 
it  successfully  required  the  nicest  management,  the  greatest  per 
severance,  and  especially  robust  lungs.  The  men  I  saw  had 
lighted  upon  a  productive  sand;  but  very  often,  indeed,  those 
who  adopt  this  mode  of  gold-washing  toil  long  at  barren  soil 
before  they  discover  the  uselessness  of  labouring  thus  ar 
duously. 

"  The  machines  used  consist,  in  the  first  place,  of  the  wash 
ing-rocker,  or  '  cradle/  which  has  in  numerous  instances 
formed  the  model  for  ruder  machines,  constructed  by  the 
iniuers  themselves  while  in  the  mountains.  The  lid,  at  the 
bottom  of  which  lie  the  holes  through  which  the  gold  and  soil 
pass,  is  fastened  by  hinges  at  the  back,  in  order  that  it  may  be 
raised  up  the  more  readily  to  throw  off,  from  time  to  time,  the 
stones  that  accumulate.  Three  men  are  required  to  work  this 
rocker  with  success,  and  there  are  few  processes  in  which  a 
smaller  number  could  operate  without  extraordinary  labour. 
One  person  throws  the  soil  upon  the  lid,  another  pours  on  the 
water,  while  a  third  is  engaged  in  rocking  the  cradle  by  the 
handle  attached  to  it  for  the  purpose.  In  this  way  these  men 
keep  each  other  constantly  employed  ;  and,  indeed,  this  cradle, 
like  its  prototype,  has  often  proved  the  bond  of  union  between 
individuals  who  would  otherwise  have  separated,  for  this  simple 


528  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


THE    MINES. 


reason,  that  one  man  could  not  work  it.  half  so  profitably  alone. 
The  cross  pieces,  observable  at  the  bottom,  serve  to  intercept 
the  gold  as  it  flows  towards  the  smaller  end  of  the  machine, 
while  the  dirt  is  carried  off  by  the  admixture  with  the  water 
produced  by  the  continual  'rocking/  As  the  earth  becomes 
thoroughly  dissolved,  the  gold  naturally  gravitates  to  the  bottom, 
and  thus  it  is  impossible  for  any  but  the  very  finest  particles 
of  the  ore  to  escape. 

"The  second  machine  in  importance  is  the  gold-borer.  It 
is  particularly  useful  in  examining  the  bottom  of  streams,  and 
consists  of  a  short  conical  cylinder  at  the  end  of  a  long  handle, 
containing  inside,  at  its  lower  extremity,  a  valve,  arranged  so 
as  to  admit  the  earth  and  gold,  and  prevent  their  escaping 
•when  the  receptacle  is  full.  This  instrument  is  used  in  the 
same  manner  as  an  anger.  The  third  machine,  the  pan,  is 
also  of  late  introduction,  but  has  been  found  rather  too  deep 
for  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  intended. 

"  As  I  advanced  the  ground  became  drier  and  more  sandy, 
rock  and  slate  of  various  kinds  abounding;  some  quite  soft 
and  friable,  yielding  readily  to  the  pickaxe  or  the  crowbar, 
and,  in  other  places  so  hard  as  to  resist  the  utmost  strength 
of  the  miners.  Several  of  the  diggers  were  perscvoringly  ex 
ploring  the  localities  where  the  rotten  sorts  of  slate  were  found 
in  the  largest  quantities,  and  I  saw  them  pick  out  a  good  deal 
of  gold  with  their  jack-knives.  Their  principal  aim  was  to 
discover  what  they  termed  '  a  pocket/  which  is  nothing  more 
than  a  crevice  between  the  blocks  of  slate,  into  which  a  de 
posit  of  gold  has  been  washed  by  the  heavy  rains  from  the 
higher  districts,  and  which,  soon  accumulating,  swell  into 
rapid  torrents,  which  run  down  these  ravines  with  extraordinary 
swiftness  and  force,  sweeping  every  thing  before  them.'* 

The  whole  history  of  the  country,  from  its  discovery  to  this 
day,  is  a  narrative  of  vicissitude  and  change.  About  1530, 
Hernando  Cortez,  or  his  favourite  pilot,  discovered  the  exten 
sive  peninsula  of  Lower  California.  In  1541,  Cabrillo  dis 
covered  Upper  California,  which  lay  neglected  for  sixty  years, 
until  a  Spanish  expedition  came  to  survey  the  coast.  San 
Diego  was  the  first  settlement.  Sir  Francis  Drake  visited  the 
shores  of  California,  and  gave  the  name  of  New  Albion  to  the 
whole  region.  The  historian  of  Drake's  voyage  declares  that 
"  the  land  is  so  rich  in  gold  and  silver,  that  upon  the  slightest 
turning  it  up  with  a  spade  or  pickuxe  these  rich  metals  plainly 
appear  mixed  with  the  mould."  Towards  the  end  of  the 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  529 


THE    MINES. 


seventeenth  century,  the  rival  commercial  nations  ceased  to  con 
tend  for  the  possession  of  California,  and  it  was  yielded  to  the 
Jesuits. 

"They  carried  no  arms  with  them,  they  built  no  fortifica 
tions,  and  displayed  none  of  those  instruments  of  war  with 
which  civilized  men  have  habitually  sought  to  inspire  with  awe 
the  minds  of  barbarian  races.  The  subtlety  of  the  Jesuits 
has  passed  into  a  proverb ;  and  in  no  period  of  their  history 
do  we  perceive  this  characteristic  so  deeply  marked  as  in  the 
policy  they  pursued  during  the  period  of  their  dominion  in 
California.  With  gifts,  promises,  and  soothing  encouragements, 
they  attracted  the  Indian's  affection  ;  with  mysterious  rites, 
with  solemn  pomp  and  grave  discourse,  they  inspired  him  with 
respect ;  and  thus  with  a  soft  hand  drawing  the  aborigines 
within  the  circle  of  their  influence,  they  held  them  there  with 
an  iron  grasp  until  the  whole  country  fell  under  their  sway. 
They  had  sown  the  seed ;  it  was  now  their  pleasant  task  to 
reap  the  harvest.  Missions  were  established,  and  around  each 
of  these  a  district  was  marked  out,  where  the  lands  were  put 
under  cultivation,  and  the  soil  was  speedily  so  productive  that 
the  Jesuits  had  great  reason  to  rejoice  in  their  acquisition.  A 
nourishing  commerce  was  opened.  Ships  from  the  old  world 
came  to  be  laden  with  the  riches  of  this  favoured  regio-n,  and 
gradually  a  lucrative  trade  was  established  and  circulated 
through  the  magnificent  harbours  that  abound  along  the'coast. 
Valuable  pearl  banks  were  discovered,  and  the  rich  lands  of 
Alta  California,  crowned  with  peace  and  plenty,  well  rewarded 
the  skilful  energy  that  was  expended  on  them ;  though  they 
still  kept  the  secret  of  that  exhaustless  mine  of  wealth  which 
would  long  ago,  if  known,  have  peopled  California  with  an 
avaricious  population  of  needy  adventurers  brought  from  the 
four  quarters  of  the  globe. 

"  The  Jesuits  rose  to  prosperity  in  their  Californian  territo 
ries,  and  were  little  disposed  to  share  the  spoil  with  any  rivals. 
To  secure,  therefore,  the  monopoly  which  was  so  profitable  to 
them,  they  disseminated  through  Europe,  by  means  of  their 
industrious  agents,  accounts  wbich  represented  California  as  a 
land  of  thirsty  aridity,  with  an  ungeuial  climate,  a  savage,  in 
tractable  population,  and  a  soil  poor  almost  to  utter  barrenness. 
Those  who  circulated  these  reports  were  generally  the  masters 
of  ships,  that,  deeply  laden  with  the  riches  of  California,  sailed 
home  by  a  circuitous  route,  and  contained  in  their  well-stored 
holds  the  substantial  contradiction  ot  such  false  assertions. 

84 


530  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 

THK    MINES. 

Yet  the  Jesuits,  while  they  laboured  to  monopolize  the  wealth 
of  their  territory,  carried  on  at  the  same  time  a  humanizing 
process,  which  at  least  prepared  the  aboriginal  population  to 
receive  the  impress  of  a  pure  and  enlightened  civilization. 
They  wrought  the  soil,  they  sought  for  precious  gums,  and 
woods,  and  metals ;  but,  at  the  same  time  they  taught  the 
Indians :  and  under  their  influence  the  country  was  changed 
from  a  vast  wilderness  of  rank  vegetation  to  a  fruitful,  well- 
cultivated  land;  and  the  Indian  tribes,  allured  from  their 
savage  haunts,  became  orderly,  industrious  communities — each 
gathered  about  a  missionary  establishment,  and  subject  to  the 
temporal  and  spiritual  control  of  a  Jesuit  father.  At  length 
Lord  Anson,  in  the  course  of  one  of  his  buccaniering  cruises, 
made  prize  of  a  richly-freighted  ship  sailing  from  California. 
This  capture  revealed  the  hidden  avarice  of  the  Jesuits;  and 
a  series  of  circumstances  originating  in  that  incident  led  to 
their  expulsion  from  the  country.  It  was  then  by  a  revolution 
transferred  into  the  possession  of  the  Dominican  monks  of 
Mexico  and  the  Franciscan  friars,  who  shared  authority  be 
tween  them,  and,  working  in  fellowship,  divided  the  reward. 

"  Alta  California  had  not  progressed  so  well  as  the  lower 
country,  which  already  contained  numerous  villages;  but  from 
this  period  forward  its  superior  fertility  and  attraction  placed 
it  first.  Settlers  multiplied,  and  the  germs  of  small  towns 
sprang  up  and  grew  rapidly.  Before  1803,  eighteen  missions 
were  planted,  and  to  each  of  these  was  attached  a  tribe  of  In 
dians,  sometimes  of  more  than  twelve  hundred  in  number. 
They  enrolled  themselves  under  the  protection  of  the  monks, 
and  laboured  in  the  lands  belonging  to  the  mission.  Some 
times  a  refractory  Indian  family  was  captured,  compelled  to 
adopt  the  name  at  least  of  servants,  and  forced  to  labour  for 
the  mission ;  but  in  return  it  was  treated  with  hospitality  and 
kindness.  The  neophytes  increased  in  numbers,  and  as  the 
reward  of  their  industry,  the  monks  clothed  them  well,  fed 
them,  and  elevated  their  condition  to  a  degree  of  comfort  to 
which,  through  ignorance,  they  had  never  before  aspired.  It 
is  not  remarkable  that  they  easily  abandoned  their  independ 
ence  for  a  servitude  that  was  at  once  so  easy  and  so  profitable. 
Industry  and  population  rise  together.  In  eleven  years  from 
1790,  the  number  of  inhabitants  in  Alta  California  rose  from 
7,748  to  13,0(58 ;  and  in  another  year  was  increased  by  2,000. 
The  wheat  raised  increased  from  15,000  to  32,000  bushels, 
and  the  oxen  from  25,000  to  00,000.  From  this  it  will  be 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  531 

THE    MINES. 

seen  how  thinly  peopled  the  country  originally  was,  and  what 
a  beneficent  effect  was  produced  by  the  exertions  of  these  few 
European  settlers.  The  process  continued  until  1835,  when 
troubles  broke  out,  and  the  form  of  government  was  changed. 
A  council  of  administrators  ruled  the  affairs  of  California ;  the 
priests,  whose  energies  had  been  so  productive  of  good,  were 
permitted  no  longer  to  exercise  any  other  than  the  functions 
of  simple  pastors ;  and  the  Indians,  disgusted  with  the  change, 
forsook  the  civilization  that  no  longer  afforded  them  assistance 
or  protection,  or  added  to  their  comforts ;  and  retreating  once 
more  into  their  native  woods,  became  lost  in  a  darker  barbarism 
than  ever.  The  savage  once  reclaimed  and  again  degenerated 
is  as  far  below  the  original  level  of  untaught  humanity  as  that 
level  is  below  the  elevation  of  civilized  society.  The  reason 
lies  on  the  surface.  He  abandons  all  the  good,  and  clings  to 
all  the  evil ;  for  it  appears  impossible  to  teach  barbarians  the 
amenities  of  civilized  life,  without  inspiring  them  with  the 
love  of  those  polished  vices  that  corrupt  us,  even  in  the  highest 
stages  of  our  existence. 

"  A  war  commenced  between  the  Indians  and  the  new  con 
querors  of  their  land.  The  administrators  were  tyrannical  in 
the  true  sense  of  the  word.  They  plundered  the  country  in 
stead  of  developing  the  resources  of  its  soil,  and  robbed  the 
natives  instead  of  profiting  by  their  protected  and  productive 
industry.  The  Indians  retaliated,  making  frequent  and  fierce 
incursions  into  the  mission  lands,  laying  them  waste,  and  cut 
ting  off  whatever  enemies  they  could  surprise.  To  punish 
them,  a  body  of  Mexicans  marched  into  their  territory,  wasted 
their  valleys,  burned  their  villages,  massacred  their  old  men, 
and  bore  away  their  women  and  children  into  a  hard  and  hope 
less  servitude.  California,  from  the  shore  to  the  Sierra  Nevada, 
from  Cape  Mendocino  to  the  point  of  the  Lower  Peninsula, 
was  the  theatre  of  a  miserable  and  harassing  contest,  in  which 
defeat  was  followed  by  no  submission,  and  success  acquired  for 
neither  party  either  honour  or  profit.  Mexico  wanted  either 
the  ability  or  the  will  to  pacify  her  subjects  in  California. 
The  whole  region  relapsed  into  perfect  anarchy ;  the  missions 
that  formerly  stood  in  the  midst  of  thriving  and  populous  dis 
tricts  were  now  deserted  and  left  tenantless,  surrounded  by 
solitary  wastes ;  ruins  covered  the  country,  and  the  whole  re 
gion  was  rapidly  sinking  into  its  original  savage  state." 

From  time  to  time,  bands  of  emigrants  from  the  United 
States,  crossed  the  liocky  Mountains,  the  Desert  Basin,  and  the 


532  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


THE    MINES. 


Sierra  Nevada,  into  Alta  California,  where  they  settled  and 
became  wealthy  on  the  improvement  of  the  soil,  felling  timber, 
erecting  mills,  building  storehouses,  and  clearing  the  lands. 
When  the  Mexican  government  was  exerting  itself  to  sweep 
away  the  missions,  Captain  Sutler,  an  adventurer,  received  a 
grant  of  land  of  60  miles  in  length  by  16  in  width.  Sutter 
had  served  as  a  lieutenant  in  the  infantry  of  Charles  X.,  and 
when  the  Swiss  corps  was  disbanded,  had  become  a  citizen  of 
the  American  Republic,  until  after  many  vicissitudes  he  emi 
grated  to  California.  There  he  established  himself;  and  before 
his  acquisition  of  land,  had  built  up  an  influence  so  firm,  that, 
the  Mexican  government,  too  weak  to  overthrow,  was  compelled 
to  conciliate  him,  and  grant  the  territory. 

"  The  whole  of  this  vast  estate,  when  it  came  into  his  posses 
sion,  was  overgrown  with  tall  rank  grass,  and  a  few  oaks  or  pines. 
It  was  situated  on  the  border  of  the  American  river,  above  the 
confluence  of  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin ;  and  the  new 
owner,  who  was  the  first  white  man  that  settled  in  that  spot, 
immediately  busied  himself  with  clearing  and  cultivating  the 
land,  and  preparing  for  a  long  and  prosperous  settlement.  He 
at  once  erected  a  small  house,  surrounded  by  a  stockade,  and 
with  his  few  companions  prepared  to  construct  a  fort.  Two 
howitzers  formed  his  armament ;  but  these  were  little  needed. 
The  Indian  hordes,  though  they  at  first  carried  off  horses  and 
cattle,  only  ventured  once  upon  a  direct  attack,  and  then  the 
harmless  explosion  of  a  shell  above  their  heads  inspired  them 
with  so  much  respect  for  the  white  man's  weapons,  that  they 
thereafter  left  him  in  peace.  By  conciliation  he  attracted  them 
to  him.  They  consented  to  labour  for  reward,  made  and  baked 
the  bricks  for  the  fort,  dug  the  ditches  to  divide  the  fields  and 
prevent  the  cattle  straying,  and  worked  at  all  the  branches  of 
industry  to  which  he  taught  them  to  apply  themselves.  By 
way  of  precaution,  he  was  very  careful  to  trust  few  of  them 
with  arms  and  ammunition.  They  were  easily  brought  to 
complete  submission,  for  they  were  without  pride  ;  and  the 
scene  which  took  place  at  their  breakfast  hour  every  morning 
sufficiently  showed  that  they  had  lost  the  high  spirit  which 
has  been  the  characteristic  of  some  of  the  Indian  races. 
Three  hundred  men  were  marshalled  within  the  walls,  long 
troughs  were  filled  with  a  mess  of  boiled  wheat-bran,  and 
kneeling  in  ranks  before  these,  like  so  many  horses  at  the 
manger,  they  fed  themselves  with  their  hands.  By  degrees 
were  procured  fourteen  pieces  of  artillery  to  fortify  his  walls ; 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  583 


THE    MINES. 


but  these  became  gradually  without  use,  except  to  fire  a  salute 
on  days  of  rejoicing.  With  his  wife  and  daughter  and  his 
Indian  labourers,  the  captain  lived  very  much  like  an  inde 
pendent  chief  among  a  barbarous  tribe,  and  at  length  brought 
seventeen  hundred  acres  of  land  under  good  culture/' 

In  the  mean  time,  the  daring  and  persevering  Captain  John 
C.  Fremont,  under  the  orders  of  the  United  States  govern 
ment,  explored  the  greater  part  of  Alta  California.  His  pub 
lished  report  contains  a  vast  amount  of  interesting  observation 
and  incident. 

Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  between  the  United  States 
and  Mexico,  the  principal  ports  of  the  territory  of  Upper  Cali 
fornia  were  ordered  to  be  secured  by  the  Pacific  squadron  for 
the  government  of  the  United  States.  This  order  was  executed 
by  Commodore  Sloat  and  Commodore  Stockton.  At  the  same 
time,  Captain  Fremont  raised  the  American  flag  upon  the 
Sacramento  river,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  territory.  Little 
opposition  was  experienced  by  the  Americans.  On  the  14th 
of  August,  Fremont  and  Stockton,  having  joined  their  forces, 
inarched  to  the  capital,  Ciudad  de  los  Angeles,  or  the  "  City 
of  the  Angels,"  and  took  possession  of  the  government  build 
ings.  Thus  was  the  whole  territory  in  possession  of  the  United 
States  forces.  Commodore  Stockton  issued  a  proclamation  to 
the  people  of  California,  giving  assurances  of  protection,  and 
established  a  civil  government.  On  the  22d  of  August,  elec 
tions  were  held  and  a  number  of  Americans  were  chosen  to 
fill  the  office  of  alcalde  at  the  different  towns.  Newspapers 
were  established  at  Monterey  and  San  Francisco,  and  the  en 
terprising  spirit  of  the  Americans  gave  a  new  appearance  to 
affairs  in  the  territory.  But  the  conquest  was  not  complete. 

On  the  23d  of  September,  1846,  the  "  City  of  the  Angels" 
was  invested  by  an  army  of  Caliibrnians,  whose  number  com 
pelled  Captain  Gillespie,  who  had  been  left  in  command  at 
that  place,  with  thirty  riflemen,  to  surrender.  He  returned  to 
San  Pedro,  on  the  Pacific,  and  there  embarked  for  Monterey. 
Two  hundred  Californians  surrounded  Santa  Barbara,  where 
Lieutenant  Talbot  had  been  left  with  only  nine  men.  Talbot 
was  summoned  to  surrender,  but  he  would  not  comply,  and,  at 
last,  marched  out  of  the  place  with  his  men,  arms  in  hand. 
Several  skirmishes  took  place,  in  which  the  Californians  were 
generally  the  assailants;  but  nothing  decisive  occurred  until 
the  arrival  of  General  Kearny. 

In  the  mean  time,  General  Kearny  marched  one  thousand 


534  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

THE    MINES. 

miles  with  his  one  hundred  dragoons  mounted  on  mules,  and 
on  the  5th  of  December,  having  reached  the  frontier  settle 
ments  of  Upper  California,  he  was  met  by  a  party  sent  out  by 
Commodore  Stockton  to  inform  him  of  the  revolt  of  the  Cali- 
fornians.  From  them  he  also  learned  that  an  armed  party  of 
the  Californians  was  about  nine  miles  distant  from  where  he 
was  encamped.  Kearny  resolved  to  attack  them.  On  the 
6th  of  December,  at  daybreak,  he  moved  forward,  and  encoun 
tered  the  enemy,  who  were  drawn  up  to  meet  them.  The  Cali 
fornians  were  superior  in  numbers  and  they  fought  well,  but 
the  impetuous  charges  of  the  dragoons  put  them  to  flight  in 
the  cud,  with  a  severe  loss.  The  party  of  Americans  suffered 
greatly  in  proportion  to  their  number  j  two  captains,  a  lieu 
tenant,  two  sergeants,  two  corporals,  and  eleven  privates,  were 
slain.  General  Kearny  received  two  wounds,  and  fourteen 
officers  and  privates  received  from  two  to  ten  lance  wounds. 
The  severe  wounds  of  the  soldiers  caused  a  halt  until  the  10th 
of  December,  when  the  march  was  resumed,  and  on  the  12th 
the  party  reached  Sun  Diego,  upon  the  Pacific  coast. 

After  Kearny 's  dragoons  had  recruited  and  recovered  some 
what  from  their  long,  fatiguing  march,  Commodore  Stockton 
and  the  general  formed  a  plan  for  putting  an  end  to  the  con 
test  in  California.  On  the  29th  of  December,  the  army,  num 
bering  six  hundred  men,  mostly  marines  and  sailors,  started 
from  San  Diego  for  Los  Angeles.  After  marching  one  hun 
dred  and  ten  miles,  they  met  the  enemy  posted  upon  the  banks 
of  the  Kio  San  Gabriel.  The  Califoruians  numbered  six  hun 
dred  mounted  men,  and  had  four  pieces  of  artillery.  On  the 
8th  of  January,  1847,  the  Americans  crossed  the  river,  and 
charged  up  the  banks,  after  repelling  a  charge  of  the  Califor- 
niaus.  The  fight  lasted  an  hour  and  a  half,  and  then  the  Cali 
fornians  were  driven  from  the  field.  The  Americans  encamped 
on  the  banks  of  the  San  Gabriel,  and  the  next  morning  re 
sumed  their  march.  On  the  plains  of  the  Mesa  another  effort 
was  made  to  save  the  capital ;  the  artillery  opened  upon  the 
Americans  in  front  and  the  cavalry  charged  upon  their  flanks. 
13ut  they  were  driven  back,  and  they  then  retreated.  The 
Americans  encamped  three  miles  from  the  capital,  and  on  the 
10th  of  January  entered  the  city  without  opposition.  The 
loss  of  the  Californians,  in  the  two  battles,  was  between  seventy 
and  eighty  in  killed  and  wounded;  that  of  the  Americans  was 
very  slight — only  one  man  being  killed,  and  two  officers  and 
eleven  privates  wounded. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  535 


THK    MINES. 


Two  or  three  days  previous  to  the  battle  of  the  8th  of 
January,  General  Flores,  the  commander  of  the  Californians, 
had  sent  commissioners  to  Stockton  to  negotiate  a  peace.  But 
the  commodore  would  not  recognise  Flores  as  one  having 
rightful  authority  to  make  a  treaty,  he  having  broken  his 
parole.  After  the  battles  of  the  8th  and  9th,  Flores  fled, 
leaving  the  command  to  Don  Andreas  Pico.  That  officer  met 
Colonel  Fremont  on  his  way  to  Los  Angeles,  and  surrendered 
his  forces  to  him.  The  articles  of  capitulation  were  signed  on 
the  13th  of  January,  and  no  further  disturbance  took  place  in 
California  until  the  treaty  of  peace  between  the  United  States 
and  Mexico,  by  which  the  territory  was  made  part  of  the 
United  States. 

"  Alta  California,  in  fortune  and  prospect,  was  changed.  The 
Indians  once  more  ventured  from  their  forest  wilds ;  industry 
was  again  awake;  old  villages  were  retenanted;  new  ones 
were  built ;  the  wasted  lands  were  covered  with  fresh  cultiva 
tion  ;  towns  that  had  fallen  to  ruin,  with  grassy  streets  and 
harbours  wholly  silent,  became  full  of  active  life  ]  and  indeed 
the  entire  region  presented  the  appearance  of  a  country  reviv 
ing  from  a  long  and  lethargic  apathy  to  new  energy  and  pros 
perity.  The  industry  of  a  numerous  class  was  devoted  to  the 
culture  of  wheat,  maize,  and  rye,  the  valuable  fisheries  on  the 
coast  were  actively  prosecuted,  and  the  pasture  lands  were 
again  crowded  with  flocks  of  sheep  and  herds  of  oxen. 

"  During  a  considerable  time,  North  America  had  been 
linked  to  California  by  a  chain  of  immigration,  slender  but 
continuous,  that  ran  through  the  passes  of  the  Rocky  Moun 
tains  and  the  Sierra  Nevada.  The  intercommunication  be 
tween  the  countries  beyond  the  Mississippi  and  the  valley  of 
Alta  California  was  now  increased  to  a  high  degree,  and  greatly 
developed  a  system  of  intercourse  which  may  be  regarded  as 
one  of  the  most  curious  features  of  the  civilization  which  it 
served  to  quicken  to  a  more  vigorous  growth.  Between  the 
city  of  Independence,  in  the  state  of  Missouri,  and  the  city 
of  Los  Angeles,  in  Upper  California,  circulated  a  constant  flow 
of  intercourse,  which  originated  about  forty-five  years  ago  in 
the  enterprise  of  James  Pursley,  a  private  adventurer,  who 
travelled  much  through  the  wilder  provinces — then  far  wilder 
than  now — that  border  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  Mississippi. 
Near  the  waters  of  the  Platte  river  a  party  of  Indians  re 
ceived  him  as  the  companion  of  their  wanderings.  With  them 
he  went  to  Santa  Fe,  a  trading  station  on  the  western  slope  of 


536  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

THE    MINES. 

the  Rocky  Range,  and  is  supposed  to  have  bartered  some 
American  commodities  with  the  people  of  that  place.  Al 
though  a  French  Creole,  it  is  said,  had  already  carried  on  a 
secret  commerce  between  America  and  California,  James 
Parsley  opened*  the  regular  system  of  intercourse;  but  his 
desultory  enterprises  led  at  first  to  results  of  little  importance. 
It  was  sixteen  years  before  a  regular  caravan  started  from  the 
Missouri,  and  travelled  to  Santa  F6.  The  journey  was  one  of 
uncertainty  and  danger.  It  led  through  a  savage  region,  peo 
pled  by  wild  tribes  ;  and  when,  in  1822,  a  company  of  traders 
was  formed,  their  commercial  adventures  were  much  restrained 
by  the  perils  that  beset  their  way.  Roaming  bands  of  Indians 
hung  on  the  line  of  march,  committing  murders  on  the  strag 
gling  travellers,  and  plundering  any  vehicles  that  might  linger 
behind.  Numerous  graves  soon  dotted  the  borders  of  the 
trail,  and  frequent  conflicts  occurred. 

"  In  1824,  eighty  merchants,  with  a  large  train  of  wagons 
and  mules,  set  out  from  the  city  of  Independence  with  com 
modities  amounting  in  value  to  30,000  dollars;  and  the  suc 
cessive  caravans  that  issued  year  after  year,  and  crossed  the 
same  solitary  plains  and  desolate  country,  were  constantly 
attacked  by  bauds  of  Indians  that  lay  in  ambush  to  rush  out 
as  the  head  of  the  wagon  trains  appeared  in  sight.  At  first 
the  traders  went  armed,  and  defended  their  own  property, 
often  repulsing  their  assailants  with  considerable  vigour  and 
success ;  but  in  the  course  of  five  years  the  value  of  the  inter 
course  was  so  great,  and  had  attracted  so  many  marauders  to 
infest  the  trail,  that  it  was  found  necessary  to  send  bodies  of 
mounted  riflemen  to  protect  the  caravan  during  a  part  of  its 
progress. 

"  The  merchants  in  several  parts  of  America  transport 
their  merchandise  to  the  banks  of  the  Missouri,  embark  them 
in  the  river  craft,  sail  with  them  to  the  city  of  Independence, 
where  they  are  collected  as  in  a  depot,  and  at  the  proper  season 
stored  in  the  wagon  or  packed  on  the  backs  of  mules.  In  the 
early  part  of  May,  the  town  assumes  an  appearance  of  unusual 
activity.  From  all  quarters  the  inhabitants  hurry  to  the  open 
space  outside  the  suburbs,  where  the  vast  caravan  is  marshalled 
for  its  journey.  The  wagons  are  drawn  sometimes  by  four, 
sometimes  by  fifteen  yokes  of  oxen,  and  perhaps  a  hundred  of 
these  colossal  canvas-covered  machines  are  stored  with  every 
description  of  merchandise.  The  drivers,  with  enormously 
long  whips,  are  ready  in  their  places,  cracking  their  lashes,  and 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  537 


THE    MINES. 


by  an  ingenious  variety  of  shouts  encouraging  the  animals  to 
exertion.  Swarming  about  the  lines  of  motionless  vehicles 
are  droves  of  cattle,  and  behind  are  long  trains  of  loaded 
mules,  with  a  company  of  merchants  on  horseback,  and  guards 
of  soldiers  to  convoy  the  precious  cargo.  Uncouthly  attired, 
and  varied  in  character  as  they  are,  the  individuals  who  ac 
company  this  expedition  form  not  the  least  characteristic  feature 
in  this  original  and  striking  scene. 

11  All  is  prepared ;  the  wagons  are  arranged ;  the  cattle  are 
counted,  and  the  mules  marked.  The  leader  has  all  the  details 
of  the  merchandise  in  his  book,  and  the  signal  is  given,  when, 
with  a  simultaneous  movement,  the  vast  train  slowly  sets  itself 
in  motion.  The  wagons  with  their  white  canvas  tops,  the 
droves  crowding  on  either  side,  and  the  sober  mules  behind, 
leave  the  city  in  a  broken  but  extended  train  ;  and  long  after 
the  caravan  has  started,  the  townspeople  may  catch  glimpses 
of  it  as  it  winds  over  an  upward  sloping  plain,  or  appears  in 
view  through  a  break  in  the  mountains." 

We  have  given  a  short  account  of  the  discovery  of  the 
golden  wealth  of  California.  The  extraordinary  consequences 
of  that  event  remain  to  be  related. 

"  In  May,  1848,  the  negro  waiter  at  the  San  Francisco  Hotel, 
before  the  mania  had  reached  its  greatest  height,  refused  to 
serve  his  master  at  the  rate  of  less  than  ten  dollars  a  day — 
which  is  regarded  here  as  a  respectable  income  for  a  profes 
sional  man.  But  the  universal  rage  was  so  strong,  that  the 
'  mineral  yellow  fever/  as  it  was  termed,  left  San  Francisco  at 
first  almost  wholly  deserted ;  and  at  the  same  season  a  large 
fleet  of  merchant  vessels  lay  helpless  and  abandoned,  some 
partially,  others  wholly  deserted.  One  ship  from  the  Sand 
wich  Islands  was  left  with  no  one  but  its  captain  on  board ; 
from  another  the  captain  started  with  all  his  crew,  replying  to 
an  observation  on  his  flagrant  conduct,  that  the  cables  and 
anchors  would  wear  well  till  his  return,  and  that  as  every  one 
was  too  busy  to  plunder,  he  ran  no  risk  by  deserting  his  duty. 
The  '  Star'  and  '  Californian'  newspapers,  published  at  San 
Francisco,  ceased  appearing,  as  the  whole  staff,  from  the  editor 
to  the  errand-boy,  had  gone  to  dig  for  gold ;  and  among  the 
most  active  workers  in  the  valley  was  the  l  attorney-general  to 
the  king  of  the  Sandwich  Islands/  The  influence  of  this 
wonderful  excitement  extended  all  Over  the  world,  but  was  felt 
most  powerfully  in  the  neighbouring  regions  of  Oregon  and 
Mexico.  There,  during  the  early  period  of  the  excitement, 


538  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 


THE    MINES. 


the  public  roads — and  especially  the  nearest  way  over  the 
hills — were  crowded  with  anxious  travellers,  each  face  bent 
towlfcds  the  ridges  of  hills  dividing  their  adopted  country  from 
the  gold  regions.  Whole  towns  and  villages  may  be  seen 
peopled  by  scarcely  any  other  than  women,  while  the  men  are 
devoutly  on  the  pilgrim's  path  to  the  shrine  of  mighty  Mam 
mon.  Two  peculiar  results  have  been  produced  in  America. 
The  unmarried  population  is  becoming  thinner  month  after 
month,  so  that  wedding  chimes  are  far  less  frequent  than  of 
yore ;  while  hypochondriacal  patients,  whom  no  sensible  friends 
could  persuade  of  their  healthy  condition,  have  forgotten  their 
affected  ills,  and  encountered  all  the  weariness  and  perils  of 
the  journey  between  their  sick-chambers  and  a  canvas  tent  in 
the  valley  of  the  Sacramento. 

"  These  were  incidents  which  took  place  early  after  the  dis 
covery.  Others  followed  still  more  curious.  The  population 
that  was  suddenly  gathered  together  in  the  valley  of  the  Sacra 
mento  was  among  the  most  motley  and  heterogeneous  ever 
collected  in  any  spot  on  the  surface  of  the  globe.  Californiau 
Indians,  with  their  gay  costume  in  gaudy  mimicry  of  the  old 
nobility  of  Castile;  rough  American  adventurers,  lawyers, 
merchants,  farmers,  artisans,  professional  men,  and  mechanics 
of  all  descriptions,  thronged  into  the  scene.  Among  them 
were  conspicuous  a  few  ancient  Spanish  dons  in  embroidered 
blue  and  crimson  clothes,  that  in  their  own  country  have  been 
out  of  fashion  for  forty  years.  A  few  gentlemen,  and  numbers 
of  women,  were  among  the  delvers;  while,  after  some  months 
had  elapsed,  even  China  opened  her  gates  to  let  out  some  ad 
venturous  house-builders,  who  took  junks  at  Canton,  sailed 
across  ten  thousand  miles  of  sea,  arrived  at  San  Francisco,  and 
there  betook  themselves  to  their  calling,  and  made  large  for 
tunes  by  the  construction  of  light  portable  buildings  for  the 
use  of  the  gold-finders  in  the  hot  and  populous  valley. 

"  Within  eighteen  months  100,000  men  arrived  in  Alta 
California  from  the  United  States,  and  settled  temporarily  in 
the  valley,  though,  after  a  short  period,  the  return  steamers 
were  as  well  laden  with  life  as  the  others.  Nine  thousand 
immense  wagons  came  through  the  pass  of  the  Ilocky  Moun 
tains,  with  an  average  of  five  persons  to  each  vehicle ;  four 
thousand  emigrants  rode  on  horseback  through  the  same  route; 
and  of  the  others,  many  crossed  the  isthmus  of  Panama, 
where  the  passengers  have  sometimes  been  so  impatient,  that 
the  government  packets  have  been  pressed  into  their  service, 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  539 


THE    MINES. 


and  compelled  to  start  on  their  voyage  before  the  arrival  of  the 
mails.  Others  made  the  sea  voyage  of  seventeen  thousand 
miles  round  the  head  of  Cape  Horn ;  and  multitudes  of  these 
have  intrusted  themselves,  during  the  passage  of  the  turbulent 
world  of  waters  heaving  round  the  head  of  this  gloomy  pro 
montory,  to  leaky  and  shattered  barques,  resembling  that  in 
which  Columbus  made  his  last  voyage  from  the  New  World  to 
Spain.  The  American  steamship  California  was  the  first 
that  ever  doubled  that  cape  into  the  Pacific.  In  a  New  York 
paper  sixty  sail  of  ships  were  advertised  to  sail  for  the  Gold 
Kegion  in  one  day.  An  analysis  of  the  multitudes  that 
poured,  and  still  pour,  into  the  Gold  Region,  leads  to  a  curious 
result,  since  it  shows  what  classes  are  most  ready  to  leave  their 
habitual  employments  to  flock  round  the  altar  of  Mammon, 
with  the  chance  of  acquiring  sudden  fortune  and  the  risk  of  a 
ruin  equally  speedy.  One-third  of  them  are  calculated  as  be 
longing  to  the  tillers  of  the  soil,  an  equal  number  are  drawn 
from  among  the  shopkeepers  and  artisans,  and  the  remainder 
is  made  up  of  persons  engaged  in  commerce,  professional  men, 
and  that  large  and  indescribable  class  which,  for  want  of  a 
more  distinct  term,  we  must  comprehend  under  the  title  of 
adventurers. 

"  The  waters  lying  between  the  coast  of  California  and  the 
Isthmus,  and  further  round  Cape  Horn  to  New  York,  were 
never  before  converted  into  such  a  crowded  highway.  Vessels 
were  constantly  passing  to  and  fro,  and  all  of  them  were 
peopled  either  by  sanguine  adventurers  with  the  hot  fever  of 
desire  upon  them,  or  disappointed  men  who  were  returning 
remorsefully  to  their  homes,  moralizing  in  philosophic  vein 
over  the  theory  of  the  far-famed  fable — that  industry  alone  is 
the  genius  that  possesses  the  power  to  turn  all  things  to  gold." 


M  E  X  I  C  O  . 


VERA  CRUZ. 

THE  friends  who  accompany  us  in  our  peregrinations, 
have  one  advantage  over  real  travellers,  on  this  "  mundane 
sphere," — they  can  terminate  their  journey  at  any  point  they 
please ;  and  whether  one  hundred  or  a  thousand  miles  dis 
tant,  have  only  to  close  their  "  guide  book,"  to  find  them 
selves  at  home.  This  suggestion,  it  is  hoped,  will  induce 
our  friends  to  accompany  us  still  longer.  Our  destination  is 
to  other  lands  than  our  own.  There  are  other  human  beings 
besides  ourselves,  differing  from  us  in  their  persons,  their 
dress,  their  manners,  their  modes  of  thought,  their  habita 
tions  ;  in  short,  in  particulars,  as  the  modern  advertisement 
runs,  "  too  numerous  to  mention." 

It  is  not  our  intention  to  enter  into  a  formal  disquisition 
upon  the  importance  and  uses  of  travelling.  Suffice  it  to 
say,  that  without  a  knowledge  of  mankind  in  other  countries, 
and  under  different  circumstances  from  our  own,  gathered 
either  from  personal  knowledge,  or  through  the  recorded  ob 
servations  of  others,  we  shall  fail  of  those  enlarged  and  liber 
al  views,  which  the  study  of  mankind  is  calculated  to  impart, 
and  put  a  lower  estimate  upon  our  own  country  than  what  she 
deserves.  No  American  ever  travels  abroad  but  that  sighs 
for  the  land  of  his  birth,  and  gives  the  preference  to  its  gov 
ernment,  its  laws  and  institutions,  upon  the  whole,  over  those 
of  any  and  every  country  on  the  globe. 

Will  our  readers  then  accompany  us?  Our  immediate  des 
tination  is  Mexico.  From  our  present  position,  which  we 
will  suppose  to  be  New  Orleans,  we  might  proceed  across  the 
country,  taking  Texas,  which  has  of  late  been  the  theatre  of 
highly  exciting  scenes,  in  our  route,  but  as  our  immediate  ob 
ject  is  to  look  upon  the  crowded  habitations,  the  splendid  ed 
ifices,  and  to  listen  to  the  busy  hum  of  the  populous  city, 
none  of  which  she  yet  has,  we  shall  enter  Mexico  by  a  differ 
ent  route.  About  one  thousand  miles,  or,  perhaps  some  one 
or  two  hundred  less,  in  a  south-westerly  direction  from  New 
540 


542  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

VERA    CRUZ. 

Orleans,  across  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  lies  the  city  ofVeraCruz,* 
rendered  famous  as  being  the  place  at  which  Cortes  first 
landed  in  1519,  and  through  whose  enterprise  and  astonish 
ing  daring,  Mexico,  or  New  Spain,  became  an  appendage  to 
the  crown  of  Castile. 

We  will  suppose  the  voyage  compassed,  and  that  we  are 
already  approaching  the  harbor  of  Vera  Cruz.  The  city  itself, 
— with  its  red  and  white  cupolas,  towers  and  battlements,  and 
the  strong  castle  of  St.  Juan  d'Ulloa,f  which  commands  the 
port,  having  300  pieces  of  cannon, — makes  a  splendid  ap 
pearance  from  the  water.  The  city  is  situated  200  miles 
east-by-south  of  Mexico. 

The  port  of  Vera  Cruz  is  the  only  one  on  this  coast, 
which  can  receive  a  man-of-war.  It  is  easy  of  access,  and 
can  accommodate  about  100  merchant  vessels,  but  very  inse 
cure,  being  open  to  the  much  dreaded  northerly  winds ; 
while  the  holding-ground  is  so  bad,  that  no  vessel  is  deemed 
secure,  unless  made  fast  to  rings  fixed  for  the  purpose,  in 
the  castle  wall.  Vera  Cruz  is  the  great  seaport  of  Mexico, 

*  The  name  Villa  Rica  de  la  Vera  Cruz,  or  the  rich  town  of  the 
true  cross,  was  given  to  the  place  by  Cortes,  who  landed  his  army 
here  at  the  time  of  his  invasion. 

t  This  celebrated  castle,  once  considered  impregnable,  was  suc 
cessfully  attacked  by  a  French  squadron  in  1839,  under  command  of 
Rear  Admiral  C.  Baudin.  After  a  vigorous  resistance,  it  capitulated, 
but  not  long  after  was  restored  to  the  Mexicans.  During  the  late 
war  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico,  both  the  city  of  Vera 
Cruz  and  the  castle  were  taken  possession  of  by  the  American  army 
under  General  Scott,  aided  by  a  squadron  under  Commodore  Perry. 
The  investment  of  the  city  was  effected  on  the  13th  of  March,  1847. 
On  the  22d,  the  bombardment  was  commenced,  and,  with  some  inter 
missions,  was  continued  to  the  26th,  when  the  Governor  offered  to 
surrender  both  city  and  castle  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans.  It 
may  here  be  ad  Jed,  that  from  Vera  Cruz  the  American  forces  at  length 
took  up  their  march  towards  Mexico,  the  capital.  At  a  mountain 
pass,  called  Cerro  Gordo,  on  the  road  to  Jalapa,  about  60  miles  from 
Vera  Cruz,  a  strong  Mexican  force,  under  Santa  Anna,  was  encoun 
tered,  which,  however,  after  a  most  sanguinary  contest,  was  obliged 
to  give  way,  with  great  loss  in  killed  and  wounded;  thus  allowing 
General  Scott  and  his  army  to  proceed.  The  American  forces  subse 
quently  took  possession  of  Puebla  and  other  places  of  inferior  note, 
and,  after  a  most  determined  resistance,  entered  the  city  of  Mexico. 
Soon  after  this  triumph,  a  treaty  of  peace  was  concluded. 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  543 

VERA    CRUZ. 

and  the  place  through  which  almost  all  the  trade  between 
that  country  and  Europe  and  the  United  States  is  carried 
on.  The  mole,  or  landing  place,  is  a  low  pier,  of  solid 
masonry.  "  I  had  scarcely  put  my  foot  upon  it,"  says  Mr. 
Bullock,  "  when  I  observed  it  was  partially  paved  with  pigs 
of  iron,  each  bearing  the  broad  arrow  of  the  king  of  England, 
which  I  afterwards  learned  were  part  of  the  ballast  of  an 
English  frigate,  left  in  order  to  enable  her  to  return  with  a 
larger  quantity  of  specie.  Thus,  the  first  step  an  English 
man  takes  in  New  Spain,  is  upon  what  once  was  English 
property."  The  city  is  beautifully  and  regularly  built,  and 
the  streets  are  so  extremely  neat  and  clean,  that,  on  the  first 
view  of  the  interior,  the  traveller  is  at  a  loss  to  account  for 
its  extreme  unhealthiness.  But  buzzards,  and  other  birds 
of  the  vulture  species,  may  be  observed  hovering  over  the 
town,  and  perching  on  the  house-tops ;  a  sure  indication 
that  animal  putrefaction  is  going  forward.  Mr.  Bullock, 
(who  visited  Mexico  in  March,  1823,)  thus  describes  the 
appearance  of  the  city. 

"  Many  of  the  houses  of  Vera  Cruz  are  large,  some  three 
stories  high,  built  in  the  old  Spanish  or  Moorish  style,  and 
generally  enclosing  a  square  court,  with  covered  galleries. 
They  have  flat  roofs,  glass  windows,  and  are  well  adapted  to 
the  climate  ;  most  of  them  have  balconies  of  wood  in  front, 
and  the  interior  arrangement  is  the  same  as  in  Old  Spain. 
The  whole  town,  as  well  as  the  castle,  is  built  of  coral,  and 
the  lime  that  forms  the  cement  is  of  the  same  material;  it  is 
used  for  the  roofs  and  foot  pavement,  and  it  is  so  hard,  that 
in  some  places  it  receives,  from  friction,  a  polish  like  mar 
ble.  There  is  one  tolerably  good  square,  of  which  the  gov 
ernment  house  forms  one  side,  and  the  principal  church  the 
other.  The  footpaths  are  frequently  under  piazzas,  a  great 
accommodation  to  passengers,  protecting  them  from  the 
sultry  heat  of  the  sun,  and  the  heavy  rains,  which  descend 
in  torrents  in  the  wet  season. 

"  Sixteen  cupolas  or  domes  are  counted  from  the  sea,  but 
only  six  churches  are  now  in  use.  Indeed,  nearly  all  the 
churches,  monasteries,  and  nunneries  here,  have  been  aban 
doned,  and  are  fast  falling  into  decay,  since  the  place  has 
been  lost  to  the  Spaniards.  Nothing  is  more  repulsive  to 
strangers  accustomed  to  the  bustle  of  European  cities,  than 
the  gloomy  deathlike  appearance  of  the  place.  Of  any  other 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  545 


VERA    CRUX. 


city  it  is  considered  a  disgrace  to  say,  that  grass  grows  in 
the  streets  ;  but  here  it  would  be  a  compliment,  for  no  vege 
tation  is  to  be  observed  even  for  miles  around,  and  fish  is 
the  only  article  of  provision  not  brought  from  a  distance. 
The  only  water  fit  to  drink,  is  what  falls  from  the  clouds, 
and  is  preserved  in  tanks  ;  that  from  the  castle  and  the  con 
vent  of  Franciscans  being  the  best.  Though  the  markets 
are  tolerably  well  supplied  by  the  Indians,  living  at  the  hotels 
is  expensive,  and  very  uncomfortable.  Provisions  are  dear, 
with  the  exception  of  fish,  which,  as  already  stated,  is  in 
abundance,  and  good.  Some  beautiful  and  curious  oysters 
are  found  here,  the  largest  and  finest  flavored  lever  met 
with.  Milk  is  scarcely  to  be  had,  as  not  a  cow  is  kept 
within  many  miles;  and  what  is,  perhaps,  peculiar  to  Vera 
Cruz,  there  is  not  a  garden  seen  near  it.  The  absence  of 
vegetation  attests  at  once  the  poverty  of  the  soil,  and  the  in 
salubrity  of  the  climate.  I  know  not  whether  prejudice  may 
not  have  influenced  my  decision,  but  to  me,  Vera  Cruz  ap 
pears  the  most  disagreeable  place  on  earth  ;  and  its  charac 
ter  of  being  the  most  unhealthy  spot  in  the  world,  naturally 
makes  the  stranger  shudder  every  hour  he  remains  within  its 
walls,  surrounded  by  arid  sands,  extensive  swamps,  and  sa 
vannahs,  the  exhalations  from  which  are  only  removed  by 
strong  winds."  It  is  extremely  subject  to  the  yellow  fever, 
which  generally  commences  its  ravages  when  the  mean  tem 
perature  rises  to  75°.  In  December,  January,  and  February, 
it  generally  disappears. 

"  Society  here,  as  may  be  anticipated,  is  extremely  con 
fined,  and  morality  at  a  very  low  ebb.  Few  of  the  European 
merchants,  whom  the  hopes  of  gain  have  allured  to  reside 
here,  are  married.  One  class  of  the  occupants  will  excite 
some  surprise  in  persons  unacquainted  with  tropical  regions; 
I  mean  the  carrion  vultures.  They  are  as  tame  in  the 
streets  as  domestic  fowls;  and,  like  the  dogs  from  the  moun 
tains  at  Lisbon,  act  as  the  scavengers  of  the  place,  very 
speedily  clearing  away  whatever  filth  may  be  left.  Their  senses 
of  smell  and  sight  are  very  acute.  While  I  was  preserving 
some  fishes  in  an  apartment  at  the  top  of  the  hotel,  the  sur 
rounding  roofs  were  crowded  with  anxious  expectants;  and 
when  the  offal  was  thrown  out,  it  was,  with  much  conten 
tion,  greedily  consumed.  They  are  on  good  terms  with 
the  dogs,  and  the  two  animals  may  frequently  be  seen  de- 

35 


546  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


vouring  the  same  carcass.  They  pass  the  night  on  the  roofs 
of  the  churches,  where  I  have  sometimes  observed  several 
hundreds."* 

Iluinboldt,  who  visited  Vera  Cruz  in  1802,  states  the  resi 
dent  population,  exclusive  of  the  militia  and  seafaring  peo 
ple,  at  1(J,000.  Other  and  later  authorities  state  the  popula 
tion  at  30,000. 


PUEBLA. 

With  this  brief  account  of  Vera  Cruz,  we  shall  satisfy 
ourselves,  and  we  trust  our  fellow  travellers,  anxious  to  press 
forward  to  the  capital,  distant  about  200  miles  north-west 
erly.  But  as  the  common  route  is  by  Puebla,  a  hundred 
and  ten  miles  west-by-south  from  Vera  Cruz,  we  shall  stop 
at  this  latter  place,  sufficiently  to  survey  its  objects  of  high 
est  interest. 

Puebla,  or  to  give  it  its  full  title,  LaPmUad  A>s  yl//»,A>, 
is  reckoned  next  to  Mexico,  Gtianaxuato,  and  thc3  Havan- 
nah,  the  most  considerable  city  in  Spanish  America,  benur 
more  populous,  according  to  Iluinboldt,  than  Lima,  Quito, 
Santa  Fe,  or  Caraccas.  Its  population,  in  1SO:J,  was  (-Mi 
niated  at  67,800  ;  and  although  it  appears  to  have  declined 
since  that  time,  it  still  amounts,  according  to  the  best  au 
thorities,  to  60,000.  It  was  one  of  the  few  towns  founded 
by  the  Europeans.  It  was  commenced  in  1531.  "  The 
site,"  says  the  author  of  Notes  on  Mexico,  "  does  credit  to 
the  taste  and  judgment  of  its  founders.  It  is  built  on  the 
south  side  of  a  hill,  that  is  wooded  to  its  summit.  The  sur 
rounding  plain  is  cultivated  witli  wheat,  barley,  Indian  com, 
and  all  the  fruits  of  Europe,  and  is  highly  productive.  This 
plain  is  surrounded  by  a  chain  of  hills,  presenting  alternately 
cultivated  fields  and  luxuriant  forests  ;  and  the  view  is  ter 
minated  by  the  volcanoes  of  Puebh,  clothed  in  perpetual 
snows. "t  The  city  is  compactly  and  uniformly  built.  The 
streets,  though  not  very  wide,  are  straight,  intersecting  each 

*  Six  Months'  Residence  in  Mexico.     By  W.  Bullock, 
t  Notes  on  Mexico,  by  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  (Mr.  Poinsett.) 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  549 


are  far  surpassed  by  the  churches  of  Puebla  and  Mexico." 
The  cathedral  forms  one  side  of  the  great  square  ;  on  the 
opposite  side  stands  the  cabildo,  or  town  hall ;  and  the  sides 
are  occupied  with  shops  under  arcades,  the  whole  gaudily 
painted.  The  exterior  of  the  cathedral  has  nothing  about  it 
very  ornamental,  or  remarkable,  but  its  interior  furniture  is 
rich  beyond  description.  The  high  altar  is  strikingly 
splendid.  Mr.  Bullock  describes  it  as  a  most  superb  sanctu 
ary  of  exquisite  workmanship,  and  states,  that  it  had  been 
but  lately  finished  by  an  Italian  artist,  from  Roman  designs, 
but  executed  in  Mexico  and  of  native  materials.  It  occu 
pies  a  considerable  part  of  the  cathedral,  and  reaches  into 
the  dome.  "  The  platform  which  is  raised  some  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  rest  of  the  church,  is  inlaid  with  marble  of 
different  colors.  The  interior  of  it  is  appropriated  as  a 
cemetery  of  the  bishops  of  Puebla.  The  walls  are  of  black 
and  white  marble,  and  the  whole  is  vaulted  with  an  elliptic 
arch.  The  canopy  which  rests  on  this  platform  is  support 
ed  by  eight  double  marble  columns,  the  effect  of  which  is 
destroyed  by  brass  ornaments  and  gilded  capitals.  The  ceil 
ing  of  the  canopy  is  highly  ornamented  with  stucco  and  gold. 
The  custodia  is  of  variegated  marble;  the  front  of  embossed 
silver,  and  so  constructed  as  to  slide  down  and  show  the 
Host  to  the  congregation.  The  custodia  itself  is  surrounded 
by  five  bronze  figures.  In  front  of  this  altar  is  suspended  an 
enormous  lamp  of  massive  gold  and  silver,  very  beautifully 
wrought.  The  pulpit  near  it  is  cut  out  of  a  mass  of  carbo 
nate  of  lime,  which  is  found  near  Puebla  ;  it  receives  a  high 
polish  and  is  semi-transparent.  A  row  of  lofty  columns  sup 
porting  the  arches,  runs  round  the  whole  interior  of  the 
building.  The  sanctuaries  are  numerous  and  are  ornamented 
with  a  profusion  of  gilding,  and  some  bad  paintings.  In  the 
midst  of  this  splendor,  miserable,  half-naked  Indians  are  to 
be  seen  wandering  about,  or  kneeling  at  the  shrine  of  some 
favorite  saint,  forming  a  singular  and  painful  contrast  to  the 
magnificence  of  the  temple." 

.  The  bishop's  palace  contains  a  tolerable  library.  The 
room  is  200  feet  long  by  45  wide,  and  is  "  well  furnished 
with  books,  mostly  in  vellum  bindings."  They  are  chiefly 
Spanish,  with  a  few  in  French,  and  one.  Mr.  Bullock  says,  in 
English  ;  but  he  gives  no  fuller  account  of  it,  than  that  it  is 


550  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


"  the  life  of  one  of  the  kings  of  England."  A  Bible  in 
Spanish,  with  plates,  \vas  exhibited  as  a  "great  curiosity." 
One  part  of  the  library  consists  of  controversial  divinity, 
but  the  perusal  of  this  portion  is  prohibited  even  to  the 
clergy.  There  is  also  a  very  good  collection  of  pictures  in 
this  palace. 

Among  the  other  religious  edifices  visited  by  the  English 
traveller,  he  enumerates  the  church  of  San  Fdipc  Ncri,  one 
of  the  largest  buildings  in  the  city,  with  the  magnificent 
hofpirio,  attached  to  it,  which  contains  some  "  excellent 
paintings,"  and  is  "  finished  with  solid  silver  and  gold  cru 
cifixes  ;  "  the  church  of  La  Santo  N/;//v7//,  formerly  belonged 
to  the  Jesuit's  College,  a  large  building  in  good  architectural 
taste  ;  the  church  and  monastery  of  St.  Augustine,  "  one  of 
the  first  class,  with  a  square,  high-raised  altar  of  silver,  orna 
mented  with  marble  statues  as  large  as  life,  and  the  sacristy 
superbly  decorated  ;  "  and  the  church  and  monastery  of  St. 
Dominick,  which  have  also  their  silver  altar,  and  "  near  the 
rails  are  two  dogs  of  the  same  metal,  the  size  of  life,  on  pe 
destals  of  gold  and  silver."  The  dome  of  this  church  is 
covered  with  painted  and  gilt  tiles.  The  little  church  of  the 
convent  of  St.  Monica,  deserves  also  to  be  mentioned,  we  are 
told,  for  the  richness  of  its  vaulted  roof,  and  walls  encrusted 
with  elaborate  carvings ;  it  also  contains  a  few  pictures, 
statues,  and  silver  ornaments. 

Puebla  is  governed  by  four  alcaldes,  and  sixteen  subordi 
nate  magistrates.  The  police,  Mr.  Bullock  says,  seems  to  be 
well  regulated.  That  many  of  the  inhabitants  are  wealthy,  is 
attested  by  their  equipages  and  retinues.  "  Handsome  car 
riages,  drawn  by  mules  richly  caparisoned,  and  attended  by 
servants  in  showy  liveries,  parade  the  streets  and  nltnrf/fit,  or 
public  walks,  particularly  on  Sundays  and  holydays;  but  the 
promenade  is  not  worthy  of  so  fine  a  city,  and  loses  much  of 
its  interest  in  the  eyes  of  Europeans,  by  the  almost  total  ab 
sence  of  females,  except  such  as  are  in  their  carriages. 
Handsome  hackney  coaches,  drawn  by  mules,  stand  ready 
lor  hire  in  the  great  square."  There  the  market  is  held, 
which  is  well  supplied  with  every  article  of  food,  except 
fish,  which  must  be  obtained  from  a  great  distance,  and  is 
sent  enclosed  in  coarse  paste  pies,  half  baked,  to  preserve 
it.  Poultry  is  plentiful  and  cheap,  and  the  tropical  fruits  are 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  551 


supplied  from  the  ticrras  calimtcs.  Indeed  the  necessaries, 
and  most  of  the  luxuries  of  life,  may  be  obtained  at  a  reason 
able  rate. 

Puebla  was  once  celebrated  for  its  manufactory  of  coarse 
woollens  ;  but  this  branch  of  industry  has  greatly  fallen  off. 
The  manufacture  of  glass,  has  of  late  been  so  much  improved, 
that  they  are  stated  already  to  rival  England,  in  the  tex 
ture  and  color  of  their  glass.  Their  coarse  and  red  earthen 
ware  is  also  excellent,  but  their  machinery  is  very  rude,  and 
no  clay  fit  for  porcelain  has  hitherto  been  discovered  in  the 
country.  Soap  is  a  considerable  article  of  trade,  being  sent 
from  Puebla  to  most  parts  of  Mexico.  One  class  of  the  in 
habitants,  Mr.  Bullock  omits  to  notice  :  like  the  capital, 
Puebla  has  its  lazzaroni.  The  custom  of  begging  in  the 
streets  existed  in  Mexico,  before  the  conquest ;  and  Cortes 
speaks  of  the  Indians  begging  like  rational  beings,  as  an  evi 
dence  of  their  civilization.  "  And  in  fact,"  remarks  the 
American,  "  it  was  the  greatest  he  could  have  given  :  a  peo 
ple  in  the  hunter  state,  never  beg  or  give  in  charity."  In 
times  of  scarcity,  the  old  and  infirm  are  sometimes  killed  from 
compassion.* 


CHOLULA. 

This  city  lies  about  60  miles  east  of  Mexico,  and  out  of 
the  usual  route  from  Puebla  to  the  former  place.  In  the 
time  of  Cortes,  it  contained,  according  to  his  account, 
40,000  houses,  independent  of  the  adjoining  villages  or  sub 
urbs,  which  he  computed  at  as  many  more.  Its  commerce 
consisted  in  manufactures  of  cotton,  gems,  and  plates  of 
clay,  and  it  was  much  famed  for  its  jewellers  and  potters. 
Cortes  mentions  that  he  counted  more  than  four  hundred 
temples  in  and  about  the  city. 

The  temple,  however,  which  is  the  most  ancient  and  most 
celebrated  of  all  the  Mexican  temples,  lies  to  the  east  of  this 
city.  It  is  now  in  ruins.  The  length  of  its  base  is  1,423 
feet,  and  its  height  173.  This  base  is  almost  double  that  of 
the  great  pyramid  of  Cheops  in  Egypt.  At  a  distance,  the 

*  Modern  Traveller. — Mexico. 


552  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


appearance  that  it  now  assumes,  is  that  of  a  natural  conical 
hill,  wooded,  and  crowned  with  a  small  church  ;  but  as  the 
traveller  approaches  it,  its  pyramidal  form  becomes  distin 
guishable,  together  with  the  four  stories  into  which  it  is 
shaped,  although  covered  with  vegetation,  the  prickly  pear, 
the  nopal,  and  the  cypress.  It  appears  to  have  been  con 
structed  exactly  in  the  direction  of  the  four  cardinal  points. 
It  is  built  of  unburnt  bricks  and  clay,  in  alternate  layers. 
In  making  the  present  road  from  Puebla  to  Mexico,  between 
twenty  and  thirty  years  ago,  the  first  story  was  cut  through, 
so  that  an  eighth  part  remained  isolated  like  a  heap  of  bricks. 
In  making  this  opening,  a  square  chamber  was  discovered  in 
the  interior  of  the  pyramid,  built  of  stone,  and  supported  by 
beams  of  cypress  wood.  The  chamber  contained  two  skele 
tons,  some  idols  of  basalt,  and  a  number  of  vases  curiously 
varnished  and  painted.  No  pains  were  taken  to  preserve  the 
objects  ;  but  it  is  said  to  have  been  carefully  ascertained  that 
this  chamber  had  no  outlet.  The  ascent  to  the  platform  is 
by  a  flight  of  120  steps. 

As  our  principal  object  in  speaking  of  Cholula,  was  to  no 
tice  this  curious  and  magnificent  relic  of  antiquity,  we  shall 
only  further  observe,  that  the  city  itself,  owing  probably  to 
its  proximity  to  Puebla,  has  greatly  declined.  It  still  occu 
pies,  according  to  Mr.  Bullock,  a  large  space  of  ground,  and 
contains  many  regular  and  broad  streets.  Humboldt  states 
its  population  in  1802,  at  16,000,  while  the  former  traveller 
places  it  at  6,000. 

But  we  will  detain  our  companions  no  longer  from  a  more 
extended  account,  which  we  propose  to  give  of  the  ancient 
and  celebrated  capital  of  New  Spain. 


MEXICO. 


Mexico,  the  next  city  to  which  we  shall  introduce  our 
fellow  travellers,  is  the  capital  of  a  country,  bearing  the  same 
name.  It  is  situated  midway  between  the  Gulf  of  Mexico 
and  the  Pacific  ocean.  Latitude,  19°  26'  north.  Longitude, 
90°  5'  west.  It  has  attracted  much  attention,  not  only  on 
account  of  the  beauty  of  its  situation,  but  the  interesting 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  555 


historical  incidents  which  pertain  to  it.  Its  history  has  the 
interest  of  romance.  A  rapid  sketch  of  this,  before  giving  a 
description  of  modern  Mexico,  will  doubtless  interest  the 
companions  of  our  wanderings. 

The  city  appears  to  have  been  founded  by  the  Mexicans, 
in  1325,  at  which  time  it  bore  the  name  of  Tcnochtitlan.  It 
was  originally  built  on  a  group  of  islands,  in  the  lake  Tez- 
cuco,  which  lay  in  a  delightful  valley,  70  leagues  in  circum 
ference,  and  elevated  more  than  7,000  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea. 

Only  twenty-seven  years  after  the  discovery  of  the  New 
World  by  Columbus,  that  is  in  1519,  Cortes,  a  Spanish  ad 
venturer,  landed  in  Mexico,  then  called  New  Spain,  and  in 
the  following  year,  took  possession  of  the  city.  His  fleet 
consisted  of  eleven  vessels,  the  largest  of  which  was  of  only 
100  tons;  three  were  of  70  or  80  tons,  and  the  rest  were 
open  barks.  His  army  consisted  of  but  508  soldiers,  in 
cluding  sixteen  horsemen,  with  ten  small  fieldpieces,  four  fal 
conets,  and  109  seamen,  or  artificers.  Such  was  the  slender 
and  ill-provided  train,  with  which,  says  Dr.  Robertson, 
Cortes  made  war  upon  a  monarch,  whose  dominions  were 
more  extensive  than  all  the  kingdom  subject  to  the  Spanish 
crown. 

Cortes  landed  at  St.  Juan  d'Ulloa,  to  which  place  he  gave 
the  name  of  Vera  Cruz.  To  the  governor  of  the  province 
he  announced  himself  as  an  ambassador  from  Don  Carlos  of 
Austria,  King  of  Castile,  the  greatest  monarch  of  the  East; 
and  that  he  was  entrusted  with  proposals  of  such  moment, 
that  he  could  impart  them  to  none  but  the  emperor  Monte- 
ztuna  himself;  he  therefore  required  them  to  conduct  him 
into  the  presence  of  their  master.  The  Mexican  authorities 
could*  not  conceal  their  uneasiness  at  this  request ;  but,  to 
soften  their  refusal,  they  first  ordered  the  presents  to  be 
brought  in,  which  they  had  prepared,  with  a  view  to  concil 
iate  the  good  will  of  the  strangers.  They  consisted  of  fine 
cotton  cloth,  plumes  of  various  colors,  and  ornaments  of 
wrought  gold  and  silver.  The  display  of  these  served  only 
to  stimulate  in  the  Spaniards  the  lust  of  conquest ;  and  when 
Teutile  proceeded  to  dissuade  Cortes  from  visiting  the  capi 
tal,  he  replied  in  a  haughty  and  determined  tone,  that  kings 
never  refused  to  receive  the  embassies  of  other  princes;  and 
insisted  on  their  acquainting  Montezuma  with  his  arrival. 
During  this  interview,  some  native  artists  had  been  diligently 


556  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


employed  in  delineating  upon  white  cotton  cloths,  representa 
tions  of  the  ships,  horses,  artillery,  soldiers,  arid  every  thing 
else  belonging  to  the  strangers,  which  struck  them  as  re 
markable.  Cortes,  having  notice  of  this,  and  learning  that 
these  pictures  were  to  be  despatched  to  Montezuma,  resolved 
to  give  further  employment  to  the  skill  of  these  painters,  and 
to  strengthen  the  impression  made  on  the  minds  of  these  na 
tive  chiefs,  by  the  exhibition  of  a  sham  fight.  Mounting  his 
horse,  he  ordered  the  trumpets  to  sound  an  alarm,  and  the 
troops,  forming  into  two  bodies,  skirmished  in  a  martial 
manner.  The  Mexicans  looked  on  in  silent  amazement, 
especially  at  the  agility  with  which  the  cavalry  performed 
their  evolutions;  for,  "observing  the  obedient  fierceness  of 
those  beasts,"  says  De  Solis,  "  they  began  to  think  there  was 
something  more  than  natural  in  those  men  that  managed 
them.  But,  when,  at  a  signal  given  by  Cortes,  the  firearms, 
and  then  the  artillery  was  discharged,  some  fell  to  the  ground, 
others  fled,  and  those  who  had  most  presence  of  mind,  affect 
ed  admiration  to  dissemble  their  fear."  Cortes  dismissed  his 
guests  with  some  trifling  presents.  To  Montezuma  himself, 
he  sent  some  glass,  a  Holland  shirt,  a  cap  of  crimson  velvet 
adorned  with  a  gold  medal,  and  a  tapestry  chair.  Though 
the  capital  was  200  miles  distant,  the  pictures  and  presents 
were  forwarded  to  the  sovereign,  and  his  answer  was  return 
ed  in  a  few  days.  Montezumft,  it  seems,  had  couriers  posted 
at  convenient  distances  along  the  principal  roads,  by  which 
means  intelligence  was  transmitted  to  the  capital  with  aston 
ishing  rapidity.  His  answer  was  a  refusal  to  allow  of  the 
nearer  approach  of  the  foreigners  ;  but  this,  too,  was  intro 
duced  with  a  conciliatory  present  to  the  Spanish  general,  ex 
pressive  at  once  of  the  monarch's  magnificence  and  his  fears. 
It  consisted  of  specimens  of  the  manufactures  of  the  country  ; 
cotton  stuffs,  so  fine  and  of  so  delicate  a  texture,  as  to  re 
semble  silk  ;  pictures  of  animals,  trees,  and  other  natural 
objects,  formed  with  feathers  of  different  colors  most  ingeni 
ously  disposed  ;  two  large  circular  plates,  one  of  gold,  repre 
senting  the  sun;  the  other  of  silver,  representing  the  moon  ; 
with  a  variety  of  golden  ornaments,  and  precious  stones. 
Cortes  received  all  these  with  an  appearance  of  the  pro- 
foundest  respect,  but,  to  the  consternation  of  the  Mexicans, 
represented  that,  with  every  wish  to  show  his  obedience  to 
their  monarch,  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  leave  the  country, 
consistently  with  his  duty  to  his  own  sovereign,  until  he  had 


CORTEZ. 


558  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


been  admitted  into  the  presence  of  the  Prince,  whom  he  had 
been  appointed  to  visit  in  his  name. 

The  firmness,  says  Dr.  Robertson,  with  which  Cortes  ad 
hered  to  his  original  proposal,  should  naturally  have  brought 
the  negotiation  between  him  and  Montezuma  to  a  speedy 
issue,  as  it  seemed  to  leave  the  Mexican  monarch  no  choice, 
but  either  to  receive  him  with  confidence  as  a  friend,  or  to 
oppose  him  openly  as  an  enemy.  The  latter  was  what  might 
have  been  expected  from  a  haughty  prince,  in  possession  of 
extensive  power.  The  Mexican  empire,  at  this  period,  was 
at  a  pitch  of  grandeur  to  which  no  society  ever  attained  in 
so  short  a  period.  Though  it  had  subsisted,  according  to 
their  own  traditions,  only  130  years,  its  dominion  extended 
from  the  north  to  the  south  sea,  over  territories  stretching, 
with  some  small  interruption,  above  five  hundred  leagues 
from  east  to  west,  and  more  than  two  hundred  from  north  to 
south,  comprehending  provinces  not  inferior  in  fertility,  pop 
ulation,  and  opulence,  to  any  in  the  torrid  zone.  The  people 
were  warlike  and  enterprising;  the  authority  of  the  monarch 
unbounded,  and  his  revenues  considerable.  If,  with  the 
forces  which  might  have  been  suddenly  assembled  in  such  an 
empire,  Moute/uma  had  fallen  upon  the  Spaniards,  while 
encamped  on  a  barren,  unhealthy  coast,  unsupported  by  any 
ally,  without  n  place  of  retreat,  and  destitute  of  provisions, 
it  seems  impossible,  even  with  all  the  advantages  of  their  su 
perior  discipline  and  arms,  that  they  could  have  stood  the 
shock,  and  they  must  either  have  perished  in  such  an  unequal 
contest,  or  have  abandoned  the  enterprise. 

As  the  power  of  Montezuma  enabled  him  to  take  this 
spirited  part,  his  own  dispositions  were  such  as  seemed  natu 
rally  to  prompt  him  to  it.  Of  all  the  princes,  who  had 
swayed  the  Mexican  sceptre,  he  was  the  most  haughty,  the 
most  violent,  and  the  most  impatient  of  control.  His  subjects 
looked  up  to  him  with  awe,  and  his  enemies  with  terror. 
The  former  he  governed  with  unexampled  rigor,  but  they 
were  impressed  with  such  an  opinion  of  his  capacity,  as 
commanded  their  respect;  and  by  many  victories  over  the 
latter,  he  hnd  spread  far  the  dread  of  his  arms,  and  had 
added  several  considerable  provinces  to  his  dominions.  But, 
though  his  talents  might  be  suited  to  the  transactions  of  a 
state  so  imperfectly  polished  as  the  Mexican  empire,  and 
sullicient  to  conduct  them  while  in  their  accustomed  course, 


IN   NORTH    AMERICA.  559 


they  were  altogether  inadequate  to  a  conjuncture  so  extra 
ordinary,  and  did  not  qualify  him  either  to  judge  with  the  dis 
cernment,  or  to  act  with  the  decision,  requisite  in  such  a 
trying  emergence. 

From  the  moment  that  the  Spaniards  appeared  on  his 
coast,  he  discovered  symptoms  of  timidity  and  embarrassment. 
Instead  of  taking  such  resolutions  as  the  consciousness  of 
his  own  power,  or  the  memory  of  his  former  exploits,  might 
have  inspired,  he  deliberated  with  an  anxiety  and  hesitation, 
which  did  not  escape  the  notice  of  his  meanest  courtiers. 
The  perplexity  and  discomposure  of  Montezuma's  mind, 
upon  this  occasion,  as  well  as  the  general  dismay  of  his  sub 
jects,  were  not  owing  wholly  to  the  impression  which  the 
Spaniards  had  made  by  the  novelty  of  their  appearance,  and 
the  terror  of  their  arms.  Its  origin  may  be  traced  up  to  a 
more  remote  source.  There  was  an  opinion,  if  we  may  be 
lieve  the  earliest  and  most  authentic  Spanish  historians, 
almost  universal  among  the  Americans,  that  some  dreadful 
calamity  was  impending  over  their  heads,  from  a  race  of 
formidable  invaders,  who  should  come  from  regions  towards 
the  rising  sun,  to  overrun  and  desolate  their  country. 
Whether  this  disquieting  apprehension  flowed  from  the 
memory  of  some  natural  calamity,  which  had  afflicted  that 
part  of  the  globe,  and  impressed  the  minds  of  the  inhabitants 
with  superstitious  fears  arid  forebodings,  or  whether  it  was 
an  imagination  accidentally  suggested  by  the  astonishment, 
which  the  first  sight  of  a  new  race  of  men  occasioned,  it  is 
impossible  to  determine.  But,  as  the  Mexicans  were  more 
prone  to  superstition  than  any  people  in  the  new  world, 
they  were  more  deeply  affected  by  the  appearance  of  the 
Spaniards,  whom  their  credulity  instantly  represented  as  the 
instrument  destined  to  bring  about  this  fatal  revolution  which 
they  dreaded.  Under  these  circumstances,  it  ceases  to  be  in 
credible  that  a  handful  of  adventurers  should  alarm  the  mon 
arch  of  a  great  empire,  and  all  his  subjects. 

Notwithstanding  the  influence  of  this  impression,  when  the 
messenger  arrived  from  the  Spanish  camp,  with  an  account 
that  the  leader  of  the  strangers,  adhering  to  his  original  de 
mand,  refused  to  obey  the  order  enjoining  him  to  leave  the 
country,  Montezuma  assumed  some  degree  of  resolution, 
and,  in  a  transport  of  rage  natural  to  a  fierce  prince,  unac 
customed  to  meet  with  any  opposition  to  his  will,  he  threaten 
ed  to  sacrifice  those  presumptuous  men  to  his  gods.  But 


560  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


his  doubts  and  fears  quickly  returned,  and  instead  of  issuing 
orders  to  carry  his  threats  into  execution,  he  again  called 
his  ministers  to  confer,  and  offer  their  advice.  Feeble  and 
temporising  measures  will  always  be  the  result,  when  men 
assemble  to  deliberate,  in  a  situation  where  they  ought  to 
act.  The  Mexican  counsellors  took  no  effectual  measures 
for  expelling  such  troublesome  intruders,  and  were  satisfied 
with  issuing  a  more  positive  injunction,  requiring  them  to 
leave  the  country  ;  but  this  they  preposterously  accotnpanied 
with  a  present  of  isuch  value,  as  proved  a  fresh  inducement  to 
remain  there. 

The  definitive  orders  of  Montezuma  at  length  were  re 
ceived  by  a  messenger,  that  the  Spaniards  should  leave  the 
country.  Cortes,  however,  had  no  intention  of  surrendering 
an  object,  which  addressed  itself  so  strongly  to  his  avarice 
and  ambition  ;  and  by  cunning  and  artifice,  for  which  he  was 
distinguished,  roused  his  soldiers  to  such  a  pitch  of  enthusi 
asm,  as  to  demand  of  him  to  be  conducted  towards  the  capi 
tal  of  the  empire. 

Cortes  did  not  allow  his  men  time  to  cool,  but  immediately 
set  about  carrying  his  design  into  execution. 

Proceeding  from  the  coast  where  they  landed,  and  in  their 
progress  achieving  an  easy  victory  over  the  country  through 
which  they  passed,  about  the  first  of  November  they  came  in 
sight  of  the  vast  plain  of  Mexico,  in  which  stood  the  capital 
of  the  renowned  Montezuma.  "  When  they  first  beheld  this 
prospect,"  says  Dr.  Robertson,  "  one  of  the  most  striking 
and  beautiful  on  the  face  of  the  earth;  when  they  observed 
fertile  and  cultivated  fields  stretching  further  than  the  eye 
could  reach  ;  when  they  saw  a  lake  resembling  the  sea  in  ex 
tent,  encompassed  by  large  towns,  and  discovered  the  capital 
rising  upon  an  island  in  the  middle,  adorned  with  temples 
and  turrets  ;  the  scene  so  far  exceeded  their  imagination, 
that  some  believed  the  powerful  descriptions  of  romance  were 
realized,  and  that  its  enchanted  palaces  and  gilded  domes 
were  presented  to  their  sight ;  others  could  hardly  persuade 
themselves  that  this  wonderful  spectacle  was  any  thinir  more 
than  a  dream.  As  they  advanced,  their  doubts  were  re 
moved,  but  their  amazement  increased.  They  were  now 
fully  satisfied,  that  the  country  was  rich  beyond  any  concep 
tion  which  they  had  formed  of  it,  arid  Haltered  themselves, 
tint,  at  length,  they  should  obtain  ample  recompense  for  all 
their  services  and  sufferings." 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  561 


"When  they  drew  near  the  city,  about  a  thousand  persons, 
who  appeared  to  be  of  distinction,  came  fortli  to  meet  them, 
adorned  with  plumes,  and  clad  in  mantles  of  fine  cotton. 
They  announced  the  approach  of  Montezuma  himself,  and 
soon  after  his  harbingers  came  in  sight.  There  appeared 
first  two  hundred  persons  in  a  uniform  dress,  with  large 
plumes  of  feathers,  alike  in  fashion,  marching  two  and  two, 
in  deep  silence,  barefooted,  with  their  eyes  fixed  on  the 
ground.  These  were  followed  by  a  company  of  higher  rank, 
in  their  most  showy  apparel,  in  the  midst  of  whom  was  Mon 
tezuma,  in  a  chair  or  litter,  richly  ornamented  with  gold, 
and  feathers  of  various  colors.  Four  of  his  principal  favorites 
carried  him  on  their  shoulders  ;  others  supported  a  canopy 
of  curious  workmanship  over  his  head.  Before  him  marched 
three  officers  with  rods  of  gold  in  their  hands,  which  they 
lifted  up  on  high  at  certain  intervals,  at  which  signal  all  the 
people  bowed  their  heads,  and  hid  their  faces,  as  unworthy 
to  look  on  so  great  a  monarch.  When  he  drew  near,  Cor 
tes  dismounted,  advancing  towards  him  with  officious  haste, 
and  in  a  respectful  posture.  At  the  same  time,  Montezuma 
alighted  from  his  chair,  and,  leaning  on  the  arms  of  two  of 
his  near  relations,  approached  with  a  slow  and  stately  pace, 
his  attendants  covering  the  street  with  cotton  cloths,  that  he 
might  not  touch  the  ground.  Cortes  accosted  him  with  pro 
found  reverence,  after  the  European  fashion.  He  returned:  the 
salutation  according  to  the  mode  of  his  country,  by  touching 
the  earth  with  his  hand,  and  then  kissing  it." 

Moniezuma  conducted  Cortes  to  the  quarters  which  he 
had  prepared  for  his  reception,  and  immediately  took  leave 
of  him,  with  a  politeness  not  unworthy  of  a  court  more  re 
fined.  "  You  are  now,"  says  he,  "  with  your  brothers  in 
your  own  house  ;  refresh  yourselves  after  your  fatigue,  and 
be  happy  until  I  return."  The  place  allotted  to  the 
Spaniards  for  their  lodging,  was  a  house  built  by  the  father 
of  Montezuma.  It  was  surrounded  by  a  stone  wall  with 
towers  at  proper  distances,  which  served  for  defence  as  well 
as  ornament ;  and  its  apartments  and  courts  were  so  large, 
as  to  accommodate  both  the  Spaniards  and  their  Indian 
allies. 

In  the  evening,  Montezuma  returned  to  visit  his  guests, 
with  the  same  pomp  as  in  the  first  interview,  bringing  pres 
ents  of  great  value  not  only  to  Cortes  and  his  officers,  but 
even  to  the  private  men.  A  long  conference  ensued,  in 


562  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 


the  course  of  which  Montezuma  informed  Cortes  that  it 
was  an  established  tradition  among  the  Mexicans,  that 
their  ancestors  came  originally  from  a  remote  region,  and 
conquered  the  pioneers  now  subject  to  his  dominion  ;  that 
after  they  were  settled  there,  the  great  captain  who  con 
ducted  this  colony,  returned  to  his  own  country,  promising 
that  at  some  future  period  his  descendants  should  visit  them, 
assume  the  government,  and  reform  their  constitutional  laws; 
that  from  what  he  had  seen  and  heard  of  Cortes  and  his  fol 
lowers,  he  was  convinced  that  they  were  the  very  persons 
whose  appearance  the  Mexican  traditions  and  prophecies 
taught  them  to  expect ;  that  accordingly  he  had  received 
them  not  as  strangers,  but  as  relations  of  the  same  blood  and 
parentage,  and  desired  that  they  might  consider  themselves 
as  masters  in  his  dominions. 

Nothing  could  have  been  more  grateful  to  the  crafty 
Cortes,  and  he  was  not  backward  in  improving  this  tradition 
ary  acknowledgment  to  his  advantage,  and  so  framed  his  dis 
course  as  to  strengthen  the  belief,  which  Montezuma  had 
formed  concerning  the  origin  of  the  Spaniards. 

Several  days  were  now  employed  in  viewing  the  city  ; 
the  appearance  of  which,  so  far  superior  in  the  order  of  its 
buildings,  arid  the  number  of  its  inhabitants,  to  any  place  the 
Spaniards  had  beheld  in  America,  and  yet  so  little  resembling 
tiie  structure  of  an  European  city,  filled  them  with  sur 
prise  and  admiration. 

In  a  letter  addressed  to  the  emperor  Charles  V.,  in 
1520.,  Cortes  thus  describes  it  :  "  The  great  city  of  7V 
m'uctitaa.  (a  corruption  of  the  true  name  of  Tonoctitlan)  is 
situated  in  the  midst  of  the  salt  water  lake,  which  has  its 
tides  Jike  the  sea;  and  from  the  city  to  the  continent  there 
are  two  Jeagues,  whichever  way  we  wish  to  enter.  Four 
dikes  lead  to  the  city  :  they  are  made  by  the  hand  of  man, 
and  are  of  the  breadth  of  two  lances.  The  city  is  as  large 
as  Seville  or  Cerdova.  The  streets,  (I  merely  speak  of  the 
principal  ones,)  are  very  narrow  and  very  long;  some  are 
half  dry  and  half  occupied  by  navigable  canals,  furnished 
with  very  well  constructed  wooden  bridges,  broad  enough 
for  ten  men  on  horseback  to  pass  at  the  same  time.  The 
market  place,  twice  as  large  as  that  of  Seville,  is  surround 
ed  with  an  immense  portico,  under  which  are  exposed  for 
sale  aH  sorts  of  merchandise,  eatables,  ornaments  made  of 
gold,  silver,  lead,  pewter,  precious  stones,  bones,  shells,  and 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  563 


feathers ;  delf  ware,  leather,  and  spun  cotton.  We  find 
hewn  stone,  tiles,  and  timber  fit  for  building.  There  are 
lanes  for  game,  others  for  roots  and  garden  fruits  ;  there  are 
houses  where  barbers  shave  the  head,  (with  razors  made  of 
obsidian;)  arid  there  are  houses  resembling  our  apothecary 
shops,  where  prepared  medicines,  unguents,  and  plasters  are 
sold.  The  market  abounds  with  so  many  things,  that  I  am 
unable  to  name  them  all  to  your  highness.  To  avoid  confu 
sion,  every  species  of  merchandise  is  sold  in  a  separate  lane  ; 
every  thing  is  sold  by  the  yard  ;  but  nothing  has  hitherto 
been  seen  to  be  weighed  in  the  market.  In  the  midst  of  the 
great  square  is  a  house  which  I  shall  call  1'Audicucia,  in 
which  ten  or  twelve  persons  sit  constantly  for  determining 
any  disputes  which  may  arise  respecting  the  sale  of  goods. 
There  are  other  persons  who  mix  continually  with  the  crowd, 
to  see  that  a  just  price  is  asked.  We  have  seen  them  break 
the  false  measures,  which  they  had  seized  from  the  mer 
chants." 

The  access  to  the  city  from  the  continent,  was  by  three 
great  dikes  or  causeways,  formed  of  stones  and  earth,  about 
thirty  feet  in  breadth.  That  on  the  west  extended  a  mile 
and  a  half;  that  on  the  north-west,  three  miles  ;  that  on  the 
south,  six  miles.  On  the  east,  there  was  no  causeway,  owing 
to  the  great  depth  of  the  lake  in  that  direction,  and  the 
city  could  only  be  approached  by  canoes.  In  each  of  these 
causeways  were  openings  at  proper  intervals,  through  Avhich 
the  waters  flowed,  and  over  these  were  laid  beams  of  timber 
covered  with  earth. 

The  city  was  adorned  with  numerous  temples,  one  of 
which,  the  TeacaUi,  or  great  temple  of  Mcxitti,  was  par 
ticularly  distinguished.  This  was  a  truncated  pyramid,  120 
feet  high,  and  318  square  at  its  base,  situated  in  the  midst 
of  a  vast  inclosure  of  walls,  and  consisting  of  five  stories. 
When  seen  from  a  distance,  it  appeared  an  enormous  cube, 
with  small  altars  covered  with  wooden  cupolas  on  the  top. 
The  point  where  these  cupolas  terminated,  was  177  feet 
above  the  pavement  of  the  inclosure.  The  material  of  which 
the  pyramid  was  built,  is  supposed  to  have  been  clay,  faced 
with  a  porous  stone,  resembling  pumice  stone,  hard  and 
smooth,  but  easily  destructible.  Humboldt  considers  this 
edifice  as  bearing  a  strong  resemblance  in  form  to  the  tem 
ple  or  tower  of  Babel,  which  was  dedicated  to  Jupiter  Be- 


"       •:,:.:;     .. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  565 


lus.  This  temple  was  finished  and  dedicated  in  the  year 
1486,  at  which  time,  according  to  Torquemada,  72,324 
human  beings,  who  had  been  taken  prisoners  in  war,  were 
sacrificed.  The  public  buildings  and  houses  of  the  nobles 
were  of  stone ;  those  of  the  common  people  were  partly 
constructed  of  wood,  and  partly  of  a  spongy  stone,  light  and 
easily  broken.  The  population  of  the  city  at  the  time  of  the 
conquest  by  Cortes,  is  variously  estimated  from  sixty  thousand 
to  a  million  and  a  half.  The  former  is  the  estimate  of  Dr. 
Robertson. 

Montezuma  II.,  who  was  the  reigning  monarch,  at  the 
time  of  the  expedition  of  Cortes,  and  who  held  his  court 
within  the  city,  was  esteemed  a  person  of  great  bravery,  but 
exceedingly  fond  of  pomp  and  power.  He  was  elected  to 
the  throne  in  1502.  The  ceremony  of  his  coronation  was 
performed  with  greater  pomp  than  had  ever  before  been 
witnessed  in  Mexico.  The  altars  streamed  with  the  blood 
of  human  victims  offered  in  his  barbarous  sacrifices.  The 
pageantry  of  his  royal  household  exceeded  that  of  the  prin 
ces  of  the  east.  Every  morning  six  hundred  feudatory 
lords  and  nobles  were  required  to  pay  court  to  him.  "  They 
passed  the  whole  day  in  the  ante-chamber,  where  none  of 
their  servants  were  permitted  to  enter,  conversing  in  a  low 
voice,  and  waiting  the  order  of  their  sovereign.  The  ser 
vants  who  accompanied  these  lords,  were  so  numerous  as  to 
occupy  three  small  courts  of  the  palace,  and  many  waited  in 
the  streets.  The  women  about  the  court  were  not  less  in 
number,  including  those  of  rank,  servants,  and  slaves.  All 
this  numerous  female  tribe  lived  shut  up  in  a  kind  of  se 
raglio,  under  the  care  of  some  noble  matrons,  who  watched 
over  their  conduct,  as  these  kings  were  extremely  jealous, 
and  every  piece  of  misconduct  which  happened  in  the  pal 
ace,  however  slight,  was  severely  punished.  Of  these  women, 
the  king  retained  those  who  pleased  him  ;  the  others  he 
gave  away  as  a  recompense  for  the  services  of  his  vassals. 
All  the  feudatories  of  the  crown  were  obliged  to  reside  for 
some  months  of  the  year  at  the  court ;  and  at  their  return  to 
their  states,  to  leave  their  sons  or  brothers  behind  them  as 
hostages,  which  the  king  demanded  as  a  security  for  their 
fidelity  ;  on  which  account  they  were  required  to  keep  houses 
in  Mexico 


566  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


The  forms  and  ceremonials  introduced  at  court,  were 
another  effect  of  the  despotism  of  Montezuma.  No  one 
could  enter  the  palace,  either  to  serve  the  king,  or  to  confer 
with  him  on  any  business,  without  pulling  off  his  shoes  and 
stockings  at  the  gate.  No  person  was  allowed  to  appear 
before  the  king  in  any  pompous  dress,  as  it  was  deemed  a 
want  of  respect  to  majesty  ;  consequently  the  greatest  lords, 
excepting  the  nearest  relations  of  the  king,  stripped  them 
selves  of  the  rich  dress  which  they  wore,  or  at  least  covered 
it  with  one  more  ordinary,  to  show  their  humility  before 
him.  All  persons  on  entering  the  hall  of  audience,  and  be 
fore  speaking  to  the  king,  made  three  bows,  saying  at  the 
first,  "  lord;  "  at  the  second,  "  my  lord  ;  "  and  at  the  third, 
"  great  lord."  They  spoke  low  and  with  the  head  inclined, 
and  received  the  answers  which  the  king  gave  them,  by 
means  of  his  secretaries,  as  attentively  and  humbly,  as  if  it 
had  been  the  voice  of  an  oracle.  In  taking  leave,  no  person 
ever  turned  his  back  upon  the  throne. 

The  audience  hall  served  also  for  his  dining  room.  The 
table  was  a  large  pillow,  and  his  seat,  a  low  chair.  The 
tablecloth,  napkins,  and  towels  were  of  cotton,  but  very 
fine,  white,  and  always  perfectly  clean.  The  kitchen  uten 
sils  were  of  the  earthen  ware  of  Cholula;  but  none  of  these 
things  were  served  him  more  than  once,  as  immediately  af 
terwards  he  gave  them  to  one  of  his  nobles.  The  cups  in 
which  they  prepared  his  chocolate  and  other  drinks  of  the 
cocoa,  were  of  gold,  or  some  beautiful  seashell,  or  naturally 
formed  vessels  curiously  varnished.  He  had  gold  plate, 
but  it  was  used  only  on  certain  festivals,  in  the  temple. 
The  number  and  variety  of  dishes  at  his  table  amazed  the 
Spaniards,  who  saw  them.  The  conqueror  Cortes  says, 
that  they  covered  the  floor  of  a  great  hall,  and  that  there 
were  dishes  of  every  kind  of  game,  fish,  fruit,  and  herbs  of 
that  country.  Three  or  four  hundred  noble  youths  carried 
this  dinner  in  form,  presented  it  as  soon  as  the  king  sat  down 
to  table,  and  immediately  retired  ;  and,  that  it  might  not  grow 
cold,  every  dish  was  accompanied  with  its  chafing-dish. 
The  king  marked,  with  a  rod  which  he  had  in  his  hand,  the 
meats  which  he  chose,  and  the  rest  were  distributed  among 
the  nobles,  who  were  in  the  ante-chamber.  Before  he  sat 
down,  four  of  the  most  beautiful  women  of  his  seraglio  pre- 


568  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


sented  water  to  him  to  wash  his  hands,  and  continued  stand 
ing  all  the  time  of  his  dinner,  together  with  six  of  his  princi 
pal  ministers,  and  his  carver. 

As  soon  as  the  king  sat  down  to  tahle,  the  carver  shut  the 
door  of  the  hall,  that  none  of  the  other  nobles  might  see 
him  eat.  The  ministers  stood  at  a  distance,  and  kept  a 
profound  silence,  unless  when  they  made  answer  to  what 
the  king  said.  The  carver  and  the  four  women  served  the 
dishes  to  him,  besides  two  others,  who  brought  him  bread 
made  of  maize,  baked  with  eggs.  He  frequently  heard 
music  during  the  time  of  his  meal,  and  was  entertained 
with  the  humorous  sayings  of  some  deformed  men,  whom 
he  kept  out  of  mere  state.  He  showed  much  satisfaction 
in  hearing  them,  and  observed,  that  amongst  their  jests,  they 
frequently  pronounced  some  important  truth.  When  dinner 
was  over  he  took  tobacco  mixed  with  liquid  amber,  in  a  pipe 
or  reed  beautifully  varnished,  and  with  the  smoke  of  it  put 
himself  to  sleep. 

After  having  slept  a  little,  upon  the  same  low  chair,  he 
gave  audience,  and  listened  attentively  to  all  that  was  com 
municated  to  him,  and  answered  every  one  by  his  ministers 
or  secretaries.  After  giving  audience,  he  was  entertained 
with  music,  being  much  delighted  with  hearing  the  glorious 
actions  of  his  ancestors  sung.  At  other  times,  he  amused 
himself  with  seeing  various  games  played.  When  he  went 
abroad,  he  was  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  the  nobles,  in  a 
litter  covered  with  rich  canopy,  attended  by  a  numerous  retir 
nue  of  courtiers;  and  wherever  he  passed,  every  person 
stopped  with  their  eyes  shut,  as  if  they  feared  to  be  dazzled 
with  the  splendor  of  majesty.  .  When  he  alighted  from  the 
litter,  to  walk  on  foot,  they  spread  carpets,  that  he  might  not 
touch  the  earth  with  his  feet. 

The  grandeur  and  magnificence  of  his  palaces,  houses  of 
pleasure,  woods,  and  gardens,  were  correspondent  to  this 
majesty.  The  palace  of  his  usual  residence  was  a  vast  edi 
fice  of  stone  and  lime,  which  had  twenty  doors  to  the  public 
squares  and  streets;  three  great  courts,  in  one  of  which  was 
a  beautiful  fountain  ;  several  halls,  and  more  than  a  hun 
dred  chambers.  Some  of  the  apartments  had  walls  of  mar 
ble,  and  other  valuable  kinds  of  stone.  The  beams  were  of 
cedar,  cypress,  and  other  excellent  woods,  well  finished  and 
carved.  Among  the  halls,  there  was  one  so  large,  that,  ao 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  571 


cording  to  the  testimony  of  an  eyewitness  of  veracity,  it 
could  contain  three  thousand  people.  Besides  this  palace, 
he  had  others,  both  within  and  without  the  capital.  In 
Mexico,  besides  the  seraglio  for  his  wives,  there  was  lodging 
for  all  his  ministers  and  counsellors,  and  all  the  officers  of 
his  household  and  court ;  and  also  accommodation  for  for 
eign  lords,  who  arrived  there,  and  particularly  for  the  two 
allied  kings. 

The  great  temple  to  which  allusion  has  already  been 
made,  occupied  the  centre  of  the  city,  and  was  enclosed  with 
a  wall  of  a  square  form,  between  which  and  the  temple, 
Cortes  affirms,  a  town  of  five  hundred  houses  might  have 
been  built.  Numerous  priests  were  attached  to  this  temple. 
Their  dress  did  not  differ  from  that  of  the  common  people, 
except  a  black  cotton  mantle,  which  they  wore  in  the  man 
ner  of  a  veil  upon  their  heads.  The  monastic  priests 
were  clothed  in  black.  They  never  shaved,  but  twisted 
their  beards  with  thick  cotton  cords,  and  bedaubed  them  with 
ink. 

Among  other  services,  which  they  performed,  was  that  of 
effecting  their  sacrifices,  which  consisted  chiefly  of  human 
victims.  In  general  the  victims  suffered  death  by  having 
their  breasts  opened  ;  but  others  were  drowned  in  the  lake, 
others  died  of  hunger,  shut  up  in  the  caverns  of  the  moun 
tains,  and  some  fell  in  the  gladiatorial  sacrifice.  The  usual 
place  of  offering  was  the  temple,  in  the  upper  area  of  which 
stood  the  altar  destined  for  ordinary  sacrifices.  The  altar 
of  the  great  temple  of  Mexico,  was  a  green  stone  convex 
above,  about  three  feet  high,  as  many  broad,  and  more  than 
five  feet  long.  A  victim  who  was  to  be  sacrificed,  was  ex 
tended  upon  the  altar,  four  priests  held  his  legs  and  arms, 
and  another  kept  his  head  firm  with  a  wooden  instrument, 
made  in  form  of  a  coiled  serpent,  which  was  put  about  his 
neck.  The  inhuman  Topiltzin,  or  chief  priest,  then  ap 
proached,  and  with  a  cutting  knife,  made  of  flint,  dexter 
ously  opened  his  breast,  and  tore  out  his  heart,  which,  while 
yet  palpitating,  he  offered  to  the  sun,  and  afterwards  threw 
it  at  the  feet  of  the  particular  idol  to  which  the  sacrifice  was 
made.  If  the  victim  was  a  prisoner  of  war,  the  officer  or 
soldier  to  whom  the  prisoner  belonged,  carried  the  body  to 
his  house,  to  be  boiled  and  dressed,  as  an  entertainment  to 


572  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


his  friends.  If  the  victim  was  a  slave  purchased  for  sacri 
fice,  the  proprietor  carried  off  the  body  from  the  altar  for  the 
same  purpose. 

The  most  celebrated  sacrifice  among  the  Mexicans  was 
that  called  by  the  Spaniards  the  gladiatorial.  Only  prison 
ers  who  were  renowned  for  their  bravery  were  permitted  to 
die  by  it.  The  prisoner  was  placed  on  a  large  round  stone, 
in  figure  like  a  millstone.  He  was  armed  with  a  shield  and 
a  short  sword,  and  tied  by  one  foot.  A  Mexican  officer  or 
soldier,  better  accoutred  in  arms,  mounted  to  combat  with 
him.  Usually  a  dreadful  contest  succeeded.  If  the  prisoner 
was  vanquished,  he  was  carried, dead  or  alive,  to  the  altar  of 
the  common  sacrifices,  where  his  heart  was  taken  out,  while 
the  victor  was  applauded  by  the  assembly,  and  rewarded  by 
the  king  with  some  military  honor.  If  the  prisoner  succeed 
ed  in  conquering  six  different  combatants,  he  was  granted 
his  life,  set  at  liberty,  and  returned  with  glory  to  his  native 
country. 

The  number  of  human  victims  which  were  annually  sacri 
ficed  on  the  altars  of  Mexico,  and  in  different  places  of  the 
empire,  is  said  to  have  amounted  to  20,000.  Some  writers 
affirm  that  this  number  were  sacrificed  in  the  capital  alone. 
For  many  years  the  most  bloody  wars,  the  most  inhuman 
sacrifices  and  cannibal  feasts,  had  disgraced  the  city  and  em 
pire,  and  had  long  cried  to  Heaven  for  its  avenging  justice 
upon  the  authors  of  these  most  awful  crimes.  In  Cortes 
we  seem  to  see  the  unconscious  minister  of  the  Divine  wrath 
upon  the  guilty  Montezuma,  his  officers  and  priests.  Not 
that  Cortes  can  be  justified  in  the  violent  methods  to  which 
he  resorted ;  he  obviously  had  no  intention  of  fulfilling  the 
Divine  will,  and  become  the  minisiter  of  Heaven's  ven 
geance;  but  however  guilty  he  may  have  been,  we  cannot 
fail  to  see  that  the  retributions  of  the  infinite  God  were  just 
upon  a  king  and  people  who  were  laden  with  such  guilt. 

Cortes  and  his  companions,  according  to  the  Abbe  Clavi- 
gero,  discovered  among  the  Mexicans  various  games  and  feats, 
which  were  practised  by  way  of  amusement,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  give  agility  to  their  limbs,  and  accustom  them  to  the 
fatigues  of  war.  We  shall  notice  but  two  which  are  thus  de 
scribed  by  the  above  historian. 

"  The  exhibition  of  the  fliers,  which  was  made  on  great 


MEXICAN  FEATS  OF  ACTIVITY-THE  FLYERS. 


MEXICAN  FEATS. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  575 


festivals,  and  particularly  in  secular  years,  was,  though  of 
less  public  benefit,  more  celebrated  than  all  others.  They 
sought  in  the  woods  for  an  extremely  lofty  tree,  which,  af 
ter  stripping  it  of  its  branches  and  bark,  they  brought  to 
the  city  and  placed  in  the  centre  of  some  large  square. 
They  cased  the  front  of  the  tree  in  a  wooden  cylinder,  which, 
on  account  of  some  resemblance  in  its  shape,  the  Spaniards 
called  a  mortar.  From  this  cylinder  hung  some  strong  ropes 
which  served  to  support  a  square  frame.  In  the  space  be 
tween  the  cylinder  and  the  frame,  they  fixed  four  other  thick 
ropes,  which  they  twisted  as  many  times  round  the  tree  as 
there  were  revolutions  to  be  made  by  the  fliers.  These 
ropes  were  drawn  through  four  holes,  made  in  the  middle  of 
the  four  planks  of  which  the  frame  consisted.  The  four 
principal  fliers,  disguised  like  eagles,  herons,  and  other 
birds,  mounted  the  tree  with  great  agility,  by  means  of  a 
rope  which  was  laced  about  it  from  the  ground  up  to  the 
frame  ;  from  the  frame  they  mounted  one  at  a  time  succes 
sively  upon  the  cylinder,  and  having  danced  there  a  little, 
they  tied  themselves  round  with  the  ends  of  the  ropes,  which 
were  drawn  through  the  holes  of  the  frame,  and  launch 
ing  with  a  spring  from  it,  began  their  flight  with  their  wings 
expanded.  The  action  of  their  bodies  put  the  frame  and 
cylinder  in  motion  ;  the  frame,  by  its  revolutions,  gradually 
untwisted  the  cords  by  which  the  fliers  swung  ;  so  that  as  the 
ropes  lengthened,  they  made  so  much  the  greater  circles  in 
their  flight.  Whilst  these  four  were  flying,  a  fifth  danced 
upon  the  cylinder,  beating  a  little  drum,  or  waving  a  flag, 
without  the  smallest  apprehension  of  the  danger  he  was  in  of 
being  precipitated  from  such  a  height.  The  others  who 
were  upon  the  frame,  (there  having  been  ten  or  twelve  per 
sons  generally  who  mounted,)  as  soon  as  they  saw  the  fliers 
in  their  last  revolution,  precipitated  themselves,  in  order  to 
reach  the  ground  at  the  same  time,  amid  the  acclamations  of 
the  populace.  Those  who  precipitated  themselves  in  this 
manner  by  the  ropes,  that  they  might  make  a  still  greater 
display  of  their  agility,  frequently  passed  from  one  rope 
to  another,  at  that  part  where,  on  account  of  the  little  dis 
tance  there  was  between  them,  it  was  possible  for  them  to 
do  so. 

The  exercises  also  which,  in  some  countries,  are    called 
the  powers   of  Hercules,    were  extremely    common    among 


576  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


them.  One  man  began  to  dance;  another, placed  upright  on 
his  shoulders,  accompanied  him  in  his  movements  ;  while  a 
third,  standing  upright  on  the  head  of  the  second,  danced 
and  displayed  other  instances  of  agility.  They  placed  also 
a  beam  upon  the  shoulders  of  two  dancers,  while  a  third 
danced  upon  the  end  of  it.  The  first  Spaniards,  who  were 
witnesses  of  these  and  other  exhibitions  of  the  Mexicans, 
were  so  much  astonished  at  their  agility,  that  they  suspected 
some  supernatural  power  assisted  them,  forgetting  to  make  a 
due  allowance  for  the  progress  of  human  genius,  and  assist 
ed  by  application  and  labor. 

Although  Montezuma  had  in  effect  surrendered  the  city, 
and  also  his  dominions,  into  the  hands  of  Cortes,  as  has  al 
ready  been  noticed,  the  latter  began  to  feel  that  his  situa 
tion  was  perilous.  A  single  turn  of  circumstances  might 
expose  both  himself  and  his  followers  to  ruin.  His  only 
means  of  securing  the  advantage,  which  he  had  obtained, 
seemed  to  lie  in  obtaining  possession  of  the  person  of 
Montezuma.  This  measure,  however,  startled  the  more 
timid  of  his  followers;  but  their  objections  were  soon  over 
ruled  by  the  more  pressing  considerations  of  necessity.  A 
pretext  for  this  act  of  hostility  soon  presented  itself.  Mes 
sengers  arrived  from  Vera  Cruz,  where  Cortes  had  left  a 
small  garrison,  informing  Cortes,  that  Qualpopoca,  one 
of  Montezuma's  generals,  had  attacked  it,  and  had  mortally 
wounded  the  commander  of  the  garrison  with  seven  of  his 
men. 

On  receiving  this  intelligence,  mortifying  and  alarming  to 
Cortes,  the  latter,  accompanied  by  several  of  his  officers, 
sought  an  interview  with  Montezuma.  Thirty  chosen  men 
followed,  not  in  regular  order,  but  sauntering  at  some  dis 
tance,  as  if  they  had  no  object  but  curiosity.  The  remain 
der  of  his  troops  were  ordered  under  arms,  ready  to  sally  out 
on  the  first  alarm.  On  being  admitted  to  the  presence  of 
Montezuma,  the  Mexican  attendants  retiring  as  usual,  Cor 
tes  informed  the  monarch  of  the  assault  upon  the  garrison, 
and  demanded  an  explanation.  Montezuma  asserted  his 
own  innocence,  and  as  a  proof  of  it  gave  orders  instantly  to 
bring  Qualpopoca  and  his  accomplices,  prisoners  to  Mexi 
co.  Cortes  replied  that  it  would  be  more  convincing  proof 
of  the  monarch's  innocence,  if  he  would  remove  from  his  pal 
ace,  and  take  up  his  residence  for  a  time  in  the  Spanish 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  577 


quarters.  To  this  strange  proposal,  Montezuma  at  first, 
through  indignation,  could  hardly  reply,  but  at  length  he 
haughtily  answered,  "  That  persons  of  his  rank  were  not  ac 
customed  voluntarily  to  give  up  themselves  as  prisoners; 
and  were  he  mean  enough  to  do  so,  his  subjects  would  not 
permit  such  an  affront  to  be  offered  to  their  sovereign  !  " 
Cortes,  unwilling  to  employ  force,  endeavored  alternately  to 
soothe  and  to  intimidate  him.  The  altercation  became 
warm,  and  having  continued  above  three  hours,  Velasquiz 
de  Leon,  an  impetuous  and  gallant  young  man,  exclaimed 
with  impatience,  "  Why  waste  more  time  in  vain  ?  Let  us 
either  seize  him  instantly,  or  stab  him  to  the  heart."  The 
threatening  voice  and  fierce  gestures,  with  which  these  words 
were  uttered,  struck  Montezuma.  The  Spaniards,  he  was 
sensible  had  now  proceeded  so  far,  as  left  him  no  hope  that 
they  would  recede.  His  own  danger  was  imminent,  the  neces 
sity  unavoidable.  He  saw  both,  and  abandoning  himself  to 
his  fate,  complied  with  their  request. 

His  officers  were  called.  He  communicated  to  them  his 
resolution.  Though  astonished  and  afflicted,  they  presumed 
not  to  question  the  will  of  their  master,  but  carried  him 
in  silent  pomp,  all  bathed  in  tears,  to  the  Spanish  quarters. 
When  it  was  known  that  the  strangers  were  conveying  away 
the  emperor,  the  people  broke  out  with  the  wildest  transports 
of  grief  and  rage,  threatening  the  Spaniards  with  immediate 
destruction,  as  the  punishment  justly  due  to  their  impious 
audacity.  But  as  soon  as  Montezuma  appeared,  with  a  seem 
ing  gayety  of  countenance,  and  waved  his  hand,  the  tumult 
was  hushed  ;  and  upon  his  declaring  it  to  be  of  his  own  choice, 
that  he  went  to  reside  for  some  time  among  his  new  friends, 
the  multitude,  taught  to  revere  every  intimation  of  their  sove 
reign's  pleasure,  quietly  dispersed. 

Thus  was  a  powerful  prince  seized  by  a  few  strangers  in 
the  midst  of  his  capital,  at  noonday,  and  carried  off  as  a 
prisoner,  without  opposition,  or  bloodshed.  History  con 
tains  nothing  parallel  to  this  event,  either  with  respect 
to  the  temerity  of  the  attempt,  or  the  success  of  the  execu 
tion. 

Montezuma  was  received  in  the  Spanish  quarters  with 
all  the  ceremonious  respect  which  Cortes  had  promised. 
He  was  attended  by  his  own  .domestics,  and  served  with  his 
usual  state.  His  principal  officers  had  free  access  to  him, 
and  h^  carried  on  every  function  of  government,  as  if  he 

37 


578  TRAVELS  AND    SKETCHES 


had  been  at  perfect  liberty.  The  Spaniards,  however, 
watched  him  with  the  scrupulous  vigilance,  which  was  natural 
in  guarding  so  important  a  prize,  endeavoring  at  the  same 
time  to  soothe  and  reconcile  him  to  his  situation,  by  every 
external  demonstration  as  regards  attachment.  But  from 
captive  princes  the  hour  of  humiliation  and  suffering  is 
never  far  distant.  Qualpopoca,  his  son,  and  five  of  the  prin 
cipal  officers  who  served  under  him,  were  brought  prisoners 
to  the  capital,  in  consequence  of  the  orders  which  Montezu- 
ma  had  issued.  The  emperor  gave  them  up  to  Cortes,  that 
he  might  inquire  into  the  nature  of  their  crimes,  and  deter 
mine  their  punishment.  They  were  formally  tried  by  a  Span 
ish  court-martial;  and,  though  they  had  acted  no  other  part 
than  what  became  loyal  subjects  and  brave  men,  in  obeying 
the  orders  of  their  lawful  sovereign,  and  in  opposing  the  in 
vaders  of  their  country,  they  were  condemned  to  be  burnt 
alive.  The  execution  of  such  atrocious  deeds  is  seldom 
long  suspended.  The  unhappy  victims  were  instantly  led 
forth.  The  pile  on  which  they  were  laid,  was  composed  of 
the  weapons  collected  in  the  royal  magazine  for  the  public 
defence. 

Just  before  Qualpopoca  was  led  out  to  suffer,  Cortes 
entered  the  apartment  of  Montczuma,  followed  by  some  of 
his  officers,  and  a  soldier  carrying  a  pair  of  fetters  ;  and  ap 
proaching  the  monarch  with  a  stern  countenance,  told  him, 
that  as  the  persons  who  were  now  to  undergo  the  punish 
ment  which  they  merited,  had  charged  him  as  the  cause  of 
the  outrage  committed,  it  was  necessary  that  he  likewise 
should  make  atonement  for  that  guilt ;  then  turning  away 
abruptly,  without  waiting  for  a  reply,  commanded  the  sol 
diers  to  clap  the  fetters  on  his  legs.  The  orders  were  in 
stantly  executed.  The  disconsolate  monarch,  trained  up 
with  an  idea  that  his  person  was  sacred  and  inviolable,  and 
considering  this  profanation  of  it  as  the  prelude  of  immediate 
death,  broke  out  into  loud  lamentations  and  complaints. 
His  attendants,  speechless  with  horror,  fell  at  his  feet, 
bathing  them  with  tears  ;  and  bearing  up  the  fetters  in  their 
hands,  endeavored  with  officious  tenderness  to  lighten  their 
pressure.  Nor  did  their  grief  and  despondency  abate,  until 
Cortes  returned  from  the  execution,  and,  with  a  cheerful 
countenance  ordered  the  fetters  to  be  taken  off.  As  Mon- 
tezuma's  spirits  had  sunk  with  unmanly  dejection,  they  now 


MONTEZUMA  CHAINED  BY  ORDER  OF  CORTEZ. 


RETREAT  OF  CORTEZ. 


580  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


rose  into  indecent  joy  ;  and  with  an  unbecoming  transition, 
he  passed  at  once  from  the  anguish  of  despair  to  transports 
of  gratitude  and  expressions  of  fondness  towards  his  de 
liverer. 

The  spirit  of  Montezuma  was  now  not  only  overawed,  but 
subdued.  During  six  months  that  Cortes  remained  in  Mex 
ico,  the  monarch  continued  in  the  Spanish  quarters,  with 
an  appearance  of  satisfaction  and  even  tranquillity.  His  min 
isters  and  officers  attended  him  as  usual.  The  affairs  of  the 
government  were  conducted  in  his  name.  But  Cortes  was 
the  real  ruler  of  the  empire,  and  he  took  every  precaution 
to  strengthen  and  fortify  his  power.  One  thing,  however, 
was  wanting  to  complete  his  security.  He  wished  to  have  such 
a  command  of  the  lake,  as  might  insure  a  retreat,  should  the 
Mexicans  suddenly  arm  themselves  against  him,  and  break 
down  the  bridges  or  causeways,  in  order  to  enclose  him  in 
the  city. 

In  order  to  obtain  this,  without  giving  disgust  to  the  em 
peror  or  his  court,  Cortes  artfully  influenced  the  curiosity 
of  the  Indians  with  accounts  of  the  Spanish  shipping,  and 
those  floating  palaces  that  moved  with  such  velocity  on  the 
water,  without  the  assistance  of  oars;  and  when  he  found 
that  the  monarch  himself  was  extremely  desirous  of  seeing 
such  a  novelty,  he  gave  him  to  understand,  that  nothing  was 
wanting  to  his  gratification  besides  a  few  necessaries  from 
Vera  Cruz,  for  that  he  had  workmen  in  his  army  capable 
of  building  such  vessels.  The  bait  took  with  Montezuma  ; 
and  he  gave  immediate  orders  that  all  his  people  should  re 
sist  Cortes  in  whatever  he  should  direct  concerning  the 
shipping.  By  this  means,  in  a  few  days,  two  brigantines  were 
got  ready,  full  rigged  and  equipped  ;  and  Montezuma  was 
invited  on  board,  to  make  the  first  trial  of  their  sailing,  of 
which  he  could  form  no  idea.  Accordingly  he  embarked 
for  this  purpose,  and  gave  orders  for  a  great  hunting  upon 
the  water,  in  order  that  all  his  people  might  be  diverted  with 
the  novelty  presented  by  the  Spaniards.  On  the  day  ap 
pointed,  the  royal  equipage  was  ready  early  in  the  morning; 
and  the  lake  was  covered  with  a  multitude  of  boats  and  ca 
noes  loaded  with  people.  The  Mexicans  had  augmented 
the  number  of  their  rowers  on  board  the  royal  barges,  with 
an  intention  to  disgrace  the  Spanish  vessels,  which  they  re 
garded  as  clumsy,  unwieldy,  and  heavy.  But  they  were  soon 
undeceived  ;  a  fresh  gale  starting  up,  the  brigantines  hoisted 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  581 


sail,  to  the  utter  astonishment  of  all  the  spectators,  and  soon 
left  all  the  canoes  behind  ;  while  the  monarch  exulted  in  the 
victory  of  the  Spaniards,  without  once  considering  that  now 
he  had  effectually  riveted  his  own  chains.* 

Cortes  having  obtained  this  important  point,  next  insisted 
that  Montezuma  should  acknowledge  himself  a  vassal  to 
the  crown  of  Castile.  With  this  requisition,  humiliating 
as  it  was,  Montezuma  complied.  But  when  Cortes  attempt 
ed  to  alter  the  religion  of  the  monarch,  and  his  people,  and 
began  to  throw  down  the  idols  in  the  great  temple,  the 
priests  took  up  arms,  and  the  whole  city,  at  their  instigation, 
rose  in  defence  of  their  gods.  In  order  to  appease  the  tu 
mult,  Cortes  was  obliged  to  desist  from  the  attempt,  and  soon 
after  was  informed  by  the  emperor  that  his  gods  demanded 
that  he  and  his  followers  should  instantly  depart  from  the 
empire. 

Several  other  circumstances  united  to  render  the  situation 
of  Cortes  critical  and  dangerous,  and  it  was  judged  advisa 
ble  both  by  himself  and  his  officers,  to  retire  from  the  city. 
This  he  now  did,  leaving  a  hundred  and  fifty  men  as  a  gar 
rison  to  guard  the  capital,  and  the  captive  emperor.  Soon 
after  the  departure  of  Cortes,  Alvarado,  the  commander  of 
the  Spanish  garrison,  attacked  the  inhabitants,  during  one 
of  their  solemn  festivals,  in  the  very  court  of  their  great 
temple,  and  massacred  great  numbers.  This  atrocious 
outrage  raised  the  whole  population  against  them — their  two 
brigantines  were  seized  and  destroyed — their  magazine  of 
provisions  was  reduced  to  ashes,  and  several  of  the  Span 
ish  soldiers  were  killed  and  wounded.  Messengers  were 
immediately  despatched  to  Cortes,  who,  at  the  head  of  his 
Spaniards  and  an  auxiliary  force  of  two  thousand  Flasca- 
laus,  returned  to  the  capital.  The  haughty  conduct  of  Cor 
tes  on  his  return,  so  exasperated  the  Mexicans,  that  they  re 
newed  the  assault  on  the  Spaniards  with  undaunted  courage 
and  implacable  ferocity.  At  every  discharge  of  the  Span 
ish  artillery,  multitudes  of  the  Mexicans  fell  ;  but  at  length 
Cortes  was  obliged  to  retreat,  and,  moreover,  was  himself 
wounded  in  the  hand. 

On  renewing  the  assault  the  next  morning,  the  Mexicans 
were  grieved  and  astonished  to  behold  their  captive  sovereign 
advancing  towards  them,  and  to  hear  him  exhorting  them 
to  cease  from  hostilities.  A  sullen  murmur  of  disapproba- 


582  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


tion  succeeded  to  his  discourse,  which  at  length  broke  out 
into  the  most  furious  rage  :  flights  of  arrows  and  volleys  of 
stones  were  poured  on  the  ramparts  ;  and  before  the  Spanish 
soldiers  appointed  to  guard  Montezurna  had  time  to  cover 
him  with  their  shields,  he  was  wounded  with  two  arrows, 
and  a  stone  which  struck  him  on  the  temple  brought  him  to 
the  ground.  On  seeing  their  monarch  fall,  tne  Mexicans, 
horror  struck,  fled  with  precipitation.  Montezuma,  scorning 
to  survive  this  last  humiliation,  tore  from  his  wounds  the 
bandages  which  the  Spaniards  had  applied  to  them,  and  with 
Indian  constancy  refused  all  nourishment,  till  death  speedily 
terminated  his  sufferings. 

The  death  of  their  captive  rendered  a  retreat  on  the 
part  of  the  Spaniards,  a  measure  indispensable.  From 
this  time,  for  the  following  six  months,  the  tide  of  fortune 
appeared  to  turn  against  Cortes.  His  retreat  was  rendered 
painful  and  hazardous  by  the  exasperated  Mexicans,  who 
in  every  possible  manner  annoyed  him,  and  on  several  oc 
casions  nearly  succeeded  in  the  utter  destruction  of  him 
self  and  followers.  In  December,  however,  his  prospects 
brightened.  Accessions  had  been  made  to  his  numbers,  so 
that  he  still  mustered  550  infantry,  of  whom  four  score 
were  armed  with  muskets  or  crossbows,  40  horsemen,  and 
nine  fieldpieces.  At  the  head  of  these,  together  with 
10,000  Indians,  he  once  more  took  up  his  march  towards 
Mexico. 

On  the  death  of  Montezuma,  the  Mexicans  had  raised  his 
brother  Quetlavaca  to  the  throne,  under  whose  direction 
those  spirited  measures  were  adopted,  which  had  issued  in  the 
expulsion  of  the  Spaniards.  Under  his  direction,  the  capital 
and  kingdom  were  put  in  a  state  of  defence;  but  in  the 
midst  of  his  sagacious  arrangements,  Quetlavaca  was  cut  off 
by  the  smallpox.  In  his  stead,  the  Mexicans  elected  Gnati- 
mozin,  (Quauhtemotzin,)  his  nephew,  and  the  son-in-law  of 
Montezuma,  who,  by  his  bravery,  sufficiently  justified  their 
choice. 

On  entering  the  Mexican  territories,  Cortes  proceeded 
to  Tezcuco,  the  second  city  in  the  empire,  situated  on  the 
banks  of  the  lake,  about  twenty  miles  from  Tenochtitlan. 
Here  he  established  his  head  quarters,  and  proceeded  to 
attack  successively  several  of  the  towns  situated  round  the 


SANDOVAL. 


584  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


lake,  compelling  them  to  submit  to  the  Spanish  crown,  or 
reducing  them  to  ruins.  In  the  mean  while,  several  brig- 
antines  were  preparing  with  the  ultimate  design  of  making 
an  attack  upon  the  capital  itself.  Siege  at  length  was  laid 
to  the  place,  and  on  the  third  of  July  a  general  assault  was 
made  with  a  view  to  take  the  city  by  storm.  In  this  day's 
action,  however,  Cortes  was  out-manoeuvred  by  the  Mexicans, 
and  the  rout  of  the  Spaniards  was  complete.  While  en 
deavoring  to  save  his  men,  Cortes  himself  was  laid  hold  of 
by  some  of  the  Mexicans,  who  were  hurrying  him  off  in  tri 
umph,  when  two  of  his  officers  rescued  him  at  the  expense  of 
their  own  lives  ;  but  he  received  several  dangerous  wounds, 
before  he  could  break  loose. 

The  situation  of  Cortes  was,  for  a  time,  dispiriting  ;  but, 
at  length,  for  reasons  not  all  explained,  Indians  to  the 
number  of  many  thousands  flocked  to  his  standard,  and 
signally  increased  his  force.  In  the  mean  while,  the  stores 
which  Guatimozin  had  laid  up,  were  exhausted  by  the  mul 
titudes,  who  had  crowded  into  the  capital  to  defend  their 
sovereign,  and  the  temples  of  their  gods  ;  and  the  brigan- 
tines  rendered  it  almost  impossible  to  convey  to  the  be 
sieged  any  supply.  Infected  distempers  now  attacked  the 
crowded  and  famished  population,  and  rilled  up  the  meas 
ure  of  their  sufferings.  Yet  still,  the  haughty  spirit  of  the 
Mexican  monarch  rejected  with  scorn  every  overture  of 
peace ;  and  every  inch  of  ground  was  disputed  with  the  in 
vaders,  till  three-fourths  of  the  city  had  been  laid  in  ruins. 
Not  before  then,  was  Guatimozin  persuaded  to  attempt  his 
escape.  To  facilitate  this  measure,  they  endeavored  to 
amuse  Cortes  with  overtures  of  submission ;  but  Sandoval 
had  orders  to  watch  every  movement  of  the  enemy.  Ob 
serving  some  large  canoes  rowing  across  the  lake  with  ex 
traordinary  rapidity,  he  instantly  gave  the  signal  to  chase,  and 
the  swift  sailing  brigantine  soon  overtook  them,  and  was 
preparing  to  fire,  when  at  once  the  rowers  dropped  their  oars, 
while  all  on  board,  with  loud  cries,  conjured  him  to  forbear,  as 
the  emperor  was  there.  The  Spaniards  eagerly  seized  their 
prize,  who  preserved  a  dignified  composure,  and,  when  con 
ducted  to  Cortes,  manifested  in  his  deportment,  neither  the 
sullen  fierceness  of  a  barbarian,  nor  the  dejection  of  the  sup 
pliant.  The  historians  have  put  into  his  mouth  on  this  oc 
casion,  a  speech  breathing  the  Roman  heroism  :  "  I  have 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  585 


done  what  became  a  monarch.  I  have  defended  my  people  to 
the  last  extremity.  Nothing  now  remains  but  to  die.  Take 
this  dagger,  (laying  his  hand  on  one  which  Cortes  wore,) 
plant  it  in  my  breast,  and  put  an  end  to  a  life,  which  can  no 
longer  be  of  use." 

As  soon  as  the  fate  of  their  monarch  was  known,  the 
resistance  of  the  Mexicans  ceased,  and  on  the  thirtieth  of 
August,  after  a  siege  of  seventy-five  days,  Cortes  took 
possession  of  what  remained  of  Tenochtitlan.  But  little 
booty  was  found  amid  the  ruins  of  the  city.  Under  a  sus 
picion  that  Guatimozin  had  large  treasures  concealed, 
Cortes  subjected  the  captive  monarch  and  his  chief  favor 
ite  to  torture  for  the  purpose  of  forcing  from  them  a  dis 
closure.  Overcome  by  the  agony,  the  minister  is  said  to 
have  besought  his  master  for  permission  to  reveal  the  se 
cret.  Guatimozin  sternly  replied  :  "  Am  I  reposing  on  abed 
of  flowers  ?  "  And  by  this  reproach,  the  favorite  in  silence 
expired.  Guatimozin  was  released  from  the  torture,  but 
soon  after,  on  a  pretended  charge  of  having  secretly  conspired 
to  excite  a  revolt,  he  was  hung  upon  a  tree,  and,  according  to 
Humboldt,  was  hung  by  his  feet  to  lengthen  out  his  torments. 

Cortes  took  immediate  measures  to  rebuild  the  capital,  on 
a  magnificent  plan,  and  by  the  year  1524,  such  was  the  con 
course  of  native  assistants  employed  by  him,  that  the  new 
city  numbered  30,000  inhabitants. 

Having  completed  our  account  of  the  ancient  Mexico, 
with  such  historical  incidents  relating  to  it  as  are  most  in 
teresting,  we  shall  proceed  to  introduce  our  fellow  travellers 
to  the  modern  Mexico. 

Tenochtitlan  was  built,  as  has  already  been  mentioned, 
on  a  group  of  islands,  in  the  midst  of  a  lake.  The  present 
city  occupies  nearly  the  same  place  with  the  ancient ;  yet, 
owing  to  the  diminution  of  the  lake  Tezcuco,  its  centre  is 
nearly  15,000  feet  distant  from  that  lake.  The  surround 
ing  lakes  appear  to  have  been  on  the  decrease,  long  before 
the  arrival  of  the  Spaniards;  but  since  that  period  the  waters 
have  dried  up  more  rapidly,  owing  to  several  causes,  but 
chiefly  to  a  deep  cut  or  drain,  by  which  the  waters  which  for 
merly  flowed  into  the  lake  Tezcuco  have  been  directed  to 
another  course. 


' 


INTERIOR  OF  A  MEXICAN  HOUSE. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  587 

MEXICO. 

"  Mexico,"  says  Humboldt,  "  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the 
finest  cities  ever  built  by  Europeans  in  either  hemisphere. 
With  the  exception  of  Petersburg,  Berlin,  Philadelphia, 
and  some  quarters  of  Westminster,  there  does  not  exist  a 
city  of  the  same  extent,  which  can  be  compared  with  the 
capital  of  New  Spain,  for  the  uniform  level  of  the  ground 
on  which  it  stands,  for  the  regularity  and  breadth  of  the 
streets,  and  the  extent  of  the  public  places.  The  architec 
ture  is  generally  of  a  very  pure  style  ;  and  there  are  even 
edifices  of  very  beautiful  structure.  The  exterior  of  the 
houses  is  not  loaded  with  ornament.  Two  sorts  of  hewn 
stone  are  used,  which  give  to  the  Mexican  buildings  an  air 
of  solidity,  and  sometimes  of  magnificence.  There  are  none 
of  those  wooden  balconies  and  galleries  to  be  seen,  which 
disfigure  so  much  all  the  European  cities  in  both  the  Indies. 
The  ballustrades  and  gates  are  all  of  Biscay  iron,  ornament- 
ed  with  bronze;  and  the  houses,  instead  of  roofs,  have  ter 
races,  like  those  in  Italy,  and  other  southern  countries 

However,  it  must  be  agreed,  that  it  is  much  less  from  the 
grandeur  and  beauty  of  the  public  buildings,  than  from  the 
breadth  and  straightness  of  its  streets,  and  from  its  uniform 
regularity,  its  extent,  and  its  position,  that  the  capital  at 
tracts  the  admiration  of  Europeans." 

Many  of  the  streets,  Mr.  Bullock  states,  are  nearly  two 
miles  in  length,  perfectly  level  and  straight,  and  with  the  ends 
terminating  in  a  view  of  the  mountains  that  surround  the 
valley.  The  houses  are,  in  general,  of  a  uniform  height,  most 
of  them  having  three  stories,  each  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
feet  high.  The  fronts  of  most  of  the  houses,  like  those  of 
Puebla,  are  painted  in  distemper,  white,  crimson,  brown,  or 
light  green  ;  and,  owing  to  the  dryness  of  the  atmosphere, 
they  retain  their  beauty  unimpaired  many  years.  Some  have 
inscriptions  upon  them  taken  from  scripture,  or  stanzas  ad 
dressed  to  the  Virgin.  Numbers  of  houses  are  entirely 
covered  with  glazed  porcelain, in  a  variety  of  elegant  designs 
and  patterns,  often  with  subjects  from  sacred  history,  giving 
the  whole  a  rich  and  mosaic-like  appearance.  The  walls  of 
the  great  staircases  are  frequently  covered  in  the  same  man 
ner,  and  mixed  with  a  profusion  of  gilding,  which,  in  con 
trast  with  the  blue  and  white  porcelain,  has  really  a  splendid 
effect.  The  walls  of  several  of  the  churches  are  finished  in 
the  same  mariner. 

The  Plaza  Major,  or  grand* square,  is  one  of  the  first  that 


588  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


is  to  be  seen  in  any  metropolis.  The  east  side  is  occupied 
by  the  cathedral ;  the  north,  by  the  splendid  palace  of  the 
viceroy  ;  the  south,  by  a  fine  row  of  houses,  in  the  centre  of 
which  is  the  palace  of  the  Marquess  de  Valle,  (Cortes,)  now 
called  the  Casa  del  Estado  ;  and  the  west  has  a  range  of 
buildings,  with  a  piazza  in  front,  consisting  of  many  good 
shops,  public  offices,  granaries,  &c.  About  the  centre  of 
the  square  is  a  colossal  equestrian  statue  of  Charles  IV.,  on 
a  pedestal  of  Mexican  marble  ;  said  to  be  the  finest  specimen 
of  casting  in  the  new  world. 

The  Cathedral,  which  stands  on  the  ruins  of  the  great 
teocalli,  or  temple  of  the  god  Mexitli,  is  a  somewhat  hetero 
geneous  edifice.  The  front  is  very  singular.  One  part  of 
it  is  low,  and  of  bad  Gothic  architecture  ;  the  other  part, 
which  is  of  recent  construction,  is  in  the  Italian  style,  and 
has  much  symmetry  and  beauty.  Its  two  handsome  towers* 
are  ornamented  with  pilasters  and  statues.  "  The  interior 
is  imposing, — larger,  loftier,  and  more  magnificent  than  the 
cathedral  of  Puebla.  The  distribution  is  the  same,  but  the 
great  altar  not  quite  so  rich.  The  dome  is  bold,  and  is 
painted  with  great  taste.  The  sanctuaries  contain  some  tol 
erable  paintings,  and  are  neatly  ornamented.  On  the  whole, 
this  church  would  do  credit  to  any  city  in  Europe."  It  is 
about  500  feet  in  length.  "  On  entering,"  says  Mr.  Bullock, 
"  I  felt  something  like  disappointment,  notwithstanding  the 
extent  and  magnificence  of  the  interior.  The  centre  is 
nearly  filled  by  the  ponderous  erections,  which  entirely  ob 
struct  its  otherwise  fine  appearance,  and  the  high  altar  is,  as 
well  as  that  in  the  cathedral  of  Puebla,  too  large  for  the 
place  it  occupies.  Like  most  of  the  churches  in  this  country, 
it  is  loaded  with  a  profusion  of  massive  carved  and  gilt  orna 
ments,  pictures,  and  painted  statues.  Many  of  the  smaller 
paintings  appeared  to  be  of  value,  and  works  of  the  old 
Spanish  and  Italian  masters  ;  but  they  are  so  placed,  and  in 
such  an  obscure  light,  that  it  is  not  possible  to  judge  de 
cisively  of  their  merit.  There  are  in  the  apartments  ad 
joining  the  cathedral,  allegorical  and  sacred  subjects,  pic 
tures  of  a  prodigious  size,  and  of  considerable  skill  in  their 
composition  and  design,  though  few  of  them  are  executed  by 
masters  held  in  estimation  in  Europe.* 

"  The   high  altar  and   its   appendages  are  enclosed  by  a 

*  Notes  cm  Mexico. 


GROUP  ON  THE  STONE  OF  SACRIFICES. 


590  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


massive  railing,  of  great  extent,  of  cast  metal,  said  to  have 
been  founded  in  China,  from  models  sent  from  Mexico. 
The  figures  which  ornament  it  are  very  numerous,  but  of 
poor  execution  and  design.  The  metal,  resembling  brass,  is 
said  to  be  of  such  value,  on  account  of  the  gold  it  contains, 
that  a  silversmith  of  Mexico  is  said  to  have  made  an  offer  to 
the  bishop  to  construct  a  new  rail  of  solid  silver,  of  the 
same  weight,  in  exchange  for  it. 

"  Divine  service  is  celebrated  here  with  great  magnifi 
cence.  Mass  is  regularly  said  every  half  hour,  from  daylight 
till  one  o'clock,  exclusive  of  the  high  mass,  and  other  occa 
sional  masses.  In  no  place  are  religious  ceremonies  ob 
served  with  greater  pomp,  or  splendor.  The  procession 
which  I  saw  from  this  cathedral,  far  exceeded,  in  order  and 
regularity,  in  the  grandeur  of  the  vestments,  in  the  costliness 
and  value  of  the  sacred  ornaments,  and  in  gold  and  silver, 
any  thing  I  ever  witnessed.  The  processions  of  Rome,  or 
any  other  city  of  Europe,  suffer  much  in  the  comparison." 

Within  the  enclosure  of  the  cathedral,  (which  is  of  stone 
pillars  and  chains,)  and  sunk  in  the  earth,  so  that  the  surface 
alone  is  visible,  is  the  remarkable  stone  called  the  Stone  of 
Sacrifices.  It  was  found,  together  with  a  great  number  of 
idols,  and  other  remains  of  Aztec  sculpture,  in  December, 
1790,  in  digging  twenty  or  thirty  feet  deep,  in  order  to  level 
the  great  square.  It  is  of  porphyry,  about  nine  feet  broad,  or 
twenty-five*  in  circumference,  of  a  cylindrical  form.  In  the 
centre  is  a  head  in  relief,  surrounded  by  twenty  groups  of 
two  figures  each,  all  represented  in  the  same  attitude  ;  and 
one  of  the  figures  is  always  the  same, — a  warrior  with  his 
right  hand  resting  on  the  helmet  of  a  man,  who  is  offering 
him  flowers  in  token  of  submission.  The  other  figure,  sup 
posed  to  be  a  vanquished  warrior,  wears  the  dress  of  the  na 
tion  to  which  he  belongs,  and  behind  him  is  a  hieroglyphic, 
denoting  the  conquered  province.  In  the  upper  surface  of 
the  stone,  there  is  a  groove  of  some  depth,  which  is  thought 
to  have  been  designed  to  let  the  blood  of  the  victims  run  off. 

The  Palace,  or  Government  house,  is  described  by  Mr. 
Bullock  as  a  truly  magnificent  building.  "  It  is  nearly 
square;  its  front  measuring  several  hundred  feet.  In  its  in 
terior  are  four  large  square  courts,  round  which  most  of  the 
public  offices  are  distributed,  together  with  the  prison,  the 
mint,  the  barracks,  and  the  botanic  garden."  The  mint. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  591 


"  the  largest  and  richest  in  the  whole  world,"  and  the  house 
of  separation  of  the  gold  and  silver,  of  the  ingots  and  aurif 
erous  silver,  are  among  the  chief  objects  of  interest  to  a 
stranger.  The  works  of  the  mint  consist  often  sets  of  roll 
ers,  moved  by  sixty  mules,  to  press  out  the  bars  to  the  re 
quired  size  :  fifty-two  circular  cutters  ;  nine  adjusting  ta 
bles  :  twenty  milling-machines  and  stamping-presses ;  and 
five  mills  for  amalgamating  the  filings  and  sweepings.  Each 
stamping-press  is  said  to  be  capable  of  coining  upwards  of 
15,000  dollars  in  ten  hours,  so  that  they  are  able  to  manu 
facture  daily  from  14  to  15,000  marcs  of  silver.  The  silver 
produced  in  all  the  mines  of  Europe  together  would  not  suf 
fice,  Humboldt  states,  to  employ  the  mint  of  Mexico  more 
than  fifteen  days.  The  operations,  however,  are  performed 
in  a  very  awkward  manner,  and  the  machinery  is  very  imper 
fect.  "  At  present  (1823)  about  200  workmen  are  employ 
ed;  but  when  the  mines  were  in  full  operation,  400  men 
were  engaged,  and  80,000  dollars  per  diem  were  coined  here, 
independently  of  what  was  done  by  the  other  mints."* 
Humboldt  has  given  a  table  of  the  annual  coinage  from  1690 
to  1803  inclusive,  from  which  it  appears,  that  the  total 
amount  of  gold  and  silver  which  passed  through  the  mint  of 
Mexico,  within  that  period,  (114  years,)  was  1,353,452,020 
piastres,  equal  to  ,£284,224,924  sterling.  Another  table, 
furnished  by  the  author  of  "  Notes  on  Mexico,"  giving  an 
account  of  the  coinage  of  gold,  and  silver,  and  copper, 
from  1802  to  1821  inclusive,  presents  a  total  of  303,319,928 
dollars. 

The  Botanical  Garden,  which  occupies  one  of  the  courts 
of  the  Viceroy's  palace  is  very  small,  but  it  is  extremely 
rich  in  rare  and  interesting  productions.  "  Though  situ 
ated,"  says  Mr.  Bullock,  "  in  the  centre  of  a  large  and  pop 
ulous  city,  every  vegetable  production  seems  in  perfect  health 
and  vigor.  It  affords  to  the  stranger  a  most  delightful  re 
treat  from  the  midday  sun  ;  to  the  botanist,  or  admirer  of  the 
works  of  nature,  a  treat  not  to  be  met  with  elsewhere  in  New 
Spain,  or  perhaps  in  the  world.  It  is  handsomely  laid  out 
in  the  Spanish  fashion,  with  flagged  walks,  bordered  with 
elegant  large  pots  of  flowers.  The  walks  are  rendered  cool 
by  the  creeping  plants  that  are  trained  over  them.  They 

*  Humboldt. 


592  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


diverge  from  a  large  stone  basin  in  the  centre,  constantly 
supplied  by  a  fountain  with  water,  which,  in  small  rivulets, 
spreads  itself  over  every  part  of  this  little  paradise,  imparting 
freshness  and  life  to  thousands  of  elegant  plants  and  flowers, 
unknown  to  the  eye  of  the  European,  but  which  here,  in  a 
climate  of  eternal  spring,  in  the  open  air,  bloom  and  send 
forth  their  fragrance  without  the  assistance  of  man,  and  pro 
duce  a  very  different  appearance  from  the  dwarfish,  sickly 
exotics  of  our  hothouses,  which,  with  every  possible  care  and 
attention,  with  difficulty  linger  a  few  years,  without  repro 
ducing  their  species.  Apples,  pears,  peaches,  quinces,  and 
other  European  fruits  flourish  here,  in  company  with  bananas, 
avocatas,  and  the  most  delicious  sapotas  I  ever  tasted.  The 
celebrated  hand-tree,  which  has  excited  so  much  attention 
among  botanists,  is  in  great  perfection  here." 

To  describe  all  the  public  buildings  in  Mexico,  would  re 
quire  a  separate  publication.  An  American  gentleman 
counted  one  hundred  and  five  cupolas,  spires  and  domes, 
within  the  limits  of  the  city;  and  there  are  said  to  be  fifty- 
six  churches,  besides  the  cathedral.*  "  The  convents  are 
thirty-eight  in  number  ;  twenty-three  of  monks,  and  fifteen 
of  nuns.  The  Franciscan  convent  is  an  immense  establish 
ment,  with  an  annual  income  of  o£21,000,  arising  principally 
from  alms.  Its  church  is  a  fine  one,  and,  as  well  as  the  nu 
merous  apartments,  courts,  and  cloisters,  of  the  monastery, 
which  form  a  perfect  labyrinth,  is  covered  with  large  paint 
ings,  describing  the  miracles  and  life  of  the  saint.  The 
church  of  San  Domingo,  which  is  attached  to  the  Dominican 
monastery,  is  splendidly  ornamented.  The  capitals  of  the 
columns  and  the  sanctuaries  in  the  interior  are  richly  gilded, 
and  the  whole  has  an  aspect  of  magnificence.  The  convent 
is  of  great  extent,  and  contains  a  numerous  collection  of 
pictures  and  statues.  In  the  paved  yard,  or  court,  in  front 
of  the  church,  we  were  shown  a  large  flat  stone,  with  a 
square  hole  in  its  centre,  in  which,  my  informant  told  me, 
was  fixed  the  stake  to  which  the  victims  of  the  Inquisition 
were  formerly  fastened,  previously  to  their  being  burnt. 
The  tribunal  was,  till  its  abolition  by  the  ex-emperor,  in  1S20, 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Dominicans." 

*  Notes  on  Mexico. 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  593 


"  The  Palace  of  the  Inquisition  is  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  street,  and  near  the  place  of  execution.  In  this  house, 
persons  accused  of  ecclesiastical  crimes,  were  confined.  I 
had  been  told,  previously  to  my  arrival  in  Mexico,  of  its  hor 
rible  subterraneous  cells,  in  which  the  wretched  captives 
were  imprisoned  ;  but  this  must  evidently  have  been  an  ex 
aggeration,  as  no  subterranean  places  ever  existed  in  the  city 
of  Mexico,  nor  ever  can  exist,  as  whenever  the  ground  is  ex 
cavated,  even  for  a  few  feet,  water  instantly  springs  up.  In 
the  great  square,  while  I  was  digging  for  the  purpose  of 
taking  a  cast  of  the  sacrificial  stone,  at  only  three  feet,  we 
were  obliged  to  employ  persons  constantly  to  lade  out  the 
water.  This  palace  is  very  elegant,  and  exhibits  little  or  no 
appearance  of  the  purposes  for  which  it  was  intended.  It 
was  occupied  as  a  polytechnical  school  at  the  time  I  was  in 
the  city,  but  was  then  on  sale. 

"  In  front  of  the  churches,  and  in  the  neighborhood  of 
them,"  adds  this  traveller,  "  we  saw  an  unusual  number  of 
beggars  ;  and  they  openly  exposed  their  disgusting  sores  and 
deformities, to  excite  our  compassion.  No  city  in  Italy  con 
tains  so  many  miserable  beggars,  and  no  town  in  the  world 
so  many  blind.  This  is,  I  think,  to  be  attributed  to  constant 
exposure,  want,  and  the  excessive  use  of  ardent  spirits. 
Many  are  blind  from  the  effects  of  the  smallpox,  which  be 
fore  the  introduction  of  vaccination,  raged  frequently  in 
this  country,  and  was  a  fatal  disease. 

The  Hospital  of  Jesus,  or  de  Los  Naturales,  founded  by 
Cortes,  deserves  to  rank  among  the  most  interesting  objects 
in  the  capital.  It  is  for  the  maintenance  of  children  and  old 
people,  and  now  unites  two  separate  foundations.  "  This 
establishment,"  says  Humboldt,  "  in  which  both  order  and 
cleanliness  may  be  seen,  but  little  industry,  has  a  revenue  of 
250,000  francs  (.=£10,470  sterling.)  In  one  of  the  rooms  are 
several  family  portraits,  among  which,  one  of  the  great  cap 
tain  himself.  Here,  too,  is  shown  "  the  identical  embroid 
ered  standard  under  which  he  wrested  the  empire  from  the 
unfortunate  Montezuma ;"  also  a  massive  mahogany  table 
which  belonged  to  Cortes.  In  the  chapel,  a  strong  iron-bound 
chest  is  exhibited,  containing  the  bones  of  the  conqueror  of 
New  Spain.  Mr.  Bullock  was  allowed  to  inspect  them,  and 
38 


594  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


he  attentively  examined,  he  says,  the  cranium  ;  but  all  he 
was  enabled  to  infer  from  it,  was,  that  the  person  of  Cortes 
must  have  been  small. 

Mr.  Bullock  gives  a  deplorable  account  of  the  present 
state  of  the  arts  in  Mexico.  "  Not  one  landscape  or  archi 
tectural  painter,"  he  says,  "  remains  in  this  great  city  ;  and 
the  only  few  artists  are  those  who  copy  religious  subjects  for 
the  churches,  and  some  who  attempt  portraits,  but  they  are  de 
plorably  bad.  The  principal  employment  for  the  pencil 
seems  to  be  in  the  decorations  of  coach  bodies,  and  the 
heads  of  wooden  bedsteads  ;  and  in  the  metropolis,  a  few 
pictures  of  the  Infant  Saviour,  the  Virgin,  Magdalen,  St. 
Joseph,  St.  Anthony,  or  St.  Cuthbert,  are  the  only  produc 
tions  of  modern  painters  which  are  to  be  met  with.  Of  the 
myriads  of  pictures  with  which  the  churches,  convents, 
cloisters,  &/c.  &/c.  are  crowded,  I  saw  few  worth  the  expense 
of  removing.  The  churches  and  cathedrals  may,  amongst 
the  great  numbers  with  which  they  are  encumbered,  have 
some  good  ones,  and  I  am  inclined  to  think  they  have;  but 
the  quantity  of  light  admitted  into  these  superb  temples  is 
too  little,  even  in  the  brightest  day,  to  render  it  practicable 
to  discover  their  merits.  They  are  lost  to  the  world  in  the 
sacred  gloom  that  pervades  the  place.  The  public,  too,  are 
prevented  from  a  near  approach  by  clumsy  railings ;  but 
from  what  information  I  was  able  to  obtain  by  peeping 
through,  it  appeared  to  me  that  some  of  the  finest  produc 
tions  of  the  Italian  and  Spanish  schools  may  be  here  buried 
in  oblivion.*' 

We  must  not  omit  to  notice  the  University  and  the  public 
library,  although  both  the  edifice  and  the  collection  are  pro 
nounced  by  Humboldt  to  be  unworthy  of  so  great  and  an 
cient  an  establishment.  The  university  was  founded  in  1551. 
The  building  is  very  spacious,  and  the  institution  is  said  to 
be  well  endowed  :  there  have  been  as  many  as  200  students 
at  one  time,  but  there  were  in  1832  very  few.  Besides  the 
university,  there  are  inferior  and  several  large  schools  under 
the  direction  of  the  regular  dergy. 

"  Most  of  the  people  in  the  cities,"  says  the  American 
Traveller,  "  can  read  and  write.  I  would  not  be  understood 
as  including  the  Icpcros  ;  but  I  have  frequently  remarked 
men  clothed  in  the  garb  of  extreme  poverty,  reading  the 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  595 


gazettes  in  the  street.  Of  these  there  are  three  published 
every  other  day  in  the  week,  which  are  sold  for  twelve  and 
a  half  cents  apiece  ;  and  pamphlets  and  loose  sheets  are 
hawked  about  at  a  reasonable  rate.  There  are  several  book 
sellers'  shops,  which  are  but  scantily  supplied  with  books. 
The  booksellers  have  hitherto  labored  under  all  the  disadvan 
tages  of  the  prohibitory  system  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
church,  but  are  now  endeavoring  to  furnish  themselves  with 
the  best  modern  works.  The  few  books  to  be  found  in  the 
shops  are  extravagantly  dear.  There  are  several  valuable 
private  libraries ;  and  many  Creole  gentlemen,  who  have 
visited  Europe,  have  a  taste  both  for  literature  and  the  fine 
arts.  This  is  certainly  more  rare  among  those  who  have 
never  been  out  of  their  own  country.  The  means  of  educa 
tion  are  more  limited  under  the  colonial  system,  and  liberal 
studies  were  discouraged.  The  Latin  language,  law,  theol 
ogy,  and  philosophy,  were  taught  in  the  colleges,  and  only 
so  much  of  the  latter  as  the  clergy  thought  might  be  taught 
with  safety.  To  give  some  idea  of  the  influence  of  this  class 
in  the  city  of  Mexico,  I  will  merely  observe,  that  there  are 
five  hundred  and  fifty  secular,  and  sixteen  hundred  and  forty- 
six  regular  clergy.  Humboldt  says,  that,  in  the  twenty-three 
convents  of  monks  in  the  capital,  there  are  twelve  hundred 
individuals,  of  whom  five  hundred  and  eighty  are  priests  and 
choristers  ;  and,  in  the  fifteen  convents  of  nuns,  there  are 
two  thousand  one  hundred  individuals,  of  whom  about  nine 
hundred  are  professed  nuns." 

The  children  of  the  nobility  and  wealthy  inhabitants  are 
principally  taught  at  home.  The  places  of  public  instruc 
tion  in  the  greatest  repute,  are  the  Seminario  and  San  Ilde- 
fonza.  Lancasterian  schools  were  established  in  the  capital 
by  the  emperor  ;  and  his  ex-majesty  assured  Mr.  Bullock, 
that  it  was  his  intention  to  extend  them  throughout  the 
provinces.  "  There  are  now, ".says  this  traveller,  "  three  or 
four  daily  papers  (1823  ;)  but  they  contain  very  little  infor 
mation  ;  they  are  only  just  beginning  to  insert  advertise 
ments  gratis,  in  the  same  manner  as  they  were  in  England 
at  the  commencement  of  our  newspapers." 

The  Almeda,  or  public  promenade,  situated  on  the  north 
side  of  the  city,  did  not  appear  to  this  traveller  worthy  of 
the  other  establishments.  It  is  laid  out  in  paved  walks,  di 
verging  from  different  centres,  with  fountains  and  statues  "  in 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  597 


very  bad  taste  and  worse  execution."  The  roads  are  wide 
enough  to  admit  the  passage  of  carriages,  and  it  is  much 
frequented  on  Sundays  and  festivals.  There  is  a  fountain  in 
the  centre  supplied  with  water  from  the  great  aqueduct  lead 
ing  from  Sante  Fe  to  the  city.  The  water  is  carried  along 
in  trenches,  so  as  to  water  the  plants  and  trees,  and  is  then 
discharged  into  the  lake.  This  aqueduct,  which  passes 
close  by  the  Ahneda,  is  33,464  feet  in  length.  It  is  sup 
ported  on  arches  of  brick  and  stone,  plastered  over.  The 
springs  of  Santa  Fe,  are  near  the  chain  of  mountains  that 
separate  the  valley  of  Mexico  from  the  Lerma  and  Toluca. 
Another  aqueduct,  10,826  feet  in  length,  conducts  the  water 
of  Chapoltepec  to  the  city.  The  arches  of  this  aqueduct, 
904  in  number,  are  nine  feet  six  inches  apart  ;  the  columns 
are  four  feet  thick,  and  the  width  is  about  six  feet  six  inches. 
The  column  of  water  is  two  feet  three  inches  wide,  and  two 
feet  deep. 

There  is  another  drive  or  ride  called  the  Paseo  Nuevo,  a 
broad  road,  raised  about  three  feet  above  the  meadow 
land  that  surrounds  the  city,  and  planted  on  both  sides  with 
a  species  of  willow,  "  a  tall,  stiff,  conical  tree,  resembling 
the  Lombardy  poplar."  It  is  about  two  miles  long,  and  ter 
minates  suddenly  near  a  bridge  and  gate,  through  which 
passes  the  canal  of  Chalco.  The  American  writer  describes 
it  as  he  saw  it,  crowded  with  carriages ;  "  some  whirling 
rapidly  along,  and  others  drawn  up  round  the  open  circle  in 
the  middle  of  the  road,  where  ladies  amuse  themselves  for 
hours,  examining  the  equipages  that  roll  by,  arid  nodding, 
smiling,  and  shaking  their  fans,  at  their  acquaintances  as 
they  pass.  This  constitutes  the  afternoon's  amusement  of 
the  wealthy.  The  bodies  of  their  coaches  are  large,  but  of 
very  good  form,  and  well  painted;  a  little  too  fine,  as  will 
be  thought,  when  I  add,  that  Guido's  Aurora  frequently 
adorns  the  middle  pannel.  The  carriage  is  very  clumsy  ; 
from  the  axle  of  the  fore,  to  that  of  the  hind  wheel,  the  dis 
tance  is  not  less  than  twelve  feet ;  and  there  is  moreover,  a 
projection  of  two  or  three  feet  before  and  behind,  on  which 
are  fastened  the  leathers  that  suspend  the  coach.  They  are 
very  easy  vehicles  to  ride  in." 

Humboldt  represents  the  city  of  Mexico  as  distinguished 
for  its  excellent  police.  "  The  streets,  for  the  most  part, 


698  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

GUANAJUATO. 

have  very  broad  pavements ;  and  they  are  clean  and  well 
lighted.  These  advantages  are  the  fruits  of  the  activity  of 
the  Count  de  Revillagigedo,  who  found  the  capital  extremely 
dirty."  If  in  this  respect,  however,  the  police  is  good,  in 
our  usual  sense  of  the  term  it  is  far  otherwise.  "  The  por 
ter  of  our  house,"  says  the  American  citizen,  "  seeing  me  go 
out  in  the  evening,  when  I  first  arrived,  without  being  armed, 
remonstrated  on  what  he  was  pleased  to  call  my  rashness  ;  and 
on  inquiry  I  found  that  it  was  deemed  imprudent  to  do  so. 
I  was  told  that  robberies  and  assassinations  were  frequent, 
and  that  not  fewer  than  1200  assassinations  had  been  com 
mitted  since  the  entrance  of  the  revolutionary  army  into  the 
capital.  On  looking  over  the  journals  of  the  first  junta,  I 
perceive  that  these  disorders  were  a  frequent  subject  of  de 
bate,  and  were  attributed  to  the  soldiery.  I  could  not  learn 
that  any  of  them  had  been  detected  and  punished.  The  city, 
notwithstanding,  is  lighted,  and  guarded  by  watchmen  ;  the 
lamps  are  furnished  with  reverberators,  and  many  of  the 
streets  are  better  lighted  than  those  of  New  York  or  Phil 
adelphia." 

The  population  of  the  capital,  in  1802,  was  estimated  by 
Humboldt  at  137,000  souls;  of  whom  2,500  were  Euro 
peans;  05,000  Creoles  ;  26,500  mestizoes,  (many  of  them 
almost  as  white  as  the  preceding  classes  ;)  10,000  mulattoes; 
and  33,000  copper-colored  natives.  Of  this  number,  nearly 
3,000  were  clergy,  monks,  and  nuns.  A  subsequent  census 
made  the  population  amount  to  160,000  souls. 


GUANAXUATO. 

This  city  is  situated  140  miles  north-west  of  Mexico.  It 
was  founded  by  the  Spaniards,  in  1543,  and  was  invested 
with  the  privileges  of  a  city  in  1741.  Although  it  stands 
nearly  7,000  feet  above  the  sea,  it  is  entirely  screened  from 
view  by  the  windings  of  a  narrow  defile,  which  leads  into  the 
recesses  of  the  mountain  ;  and  when  the  traveller  at  length 
finds  himself  introduced  into  the  city,  he  has  no  idea  of  its 
extent,  one  part  being  so  hidden  from  another,  that,viewed  from 
the  streets,  it  appears  to  be  a  small  town.  It  is  only  by  as- 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  599 


GUANAXUATO. 


cending  the  heights,  on  the  opposite  side,  that  a  view  is 
gained  of  the  whole  valley,  broken  into  ravines,  along  the 
sides  of  which  the  town  is  built.  Surveyed  from  this  point, 
the  novelty  of  its  situation  strikes  the  stranger  with  aston 
ishment.  In  some  places  it  is  seen,  spreading  out  into  the 
form  of  an  amphitheatre  ;  in  others  stretching  along  a  narrow 
ridge  ;  while  the  ranges  of  habitations,  accommodated  to  the 
broken  ground,  present  the  most  fantastic  groups. 

The  streets  are  narrow,  crooked,  and  winding,  running 
across  open  spaces,  which  cannot  be  called  squares,  for  they 
are  irregular  and  of  indescribable  forms,  most  of  them  filled 
with  market  stalls.  They  are  spacious,  and  well  built  of 
hewn  stone,  but  the  fronts  are  painted  with  the  gayest  colors  : 
light  green  is  the  favorite,  but  some  are  painted  white,  green, 
and  red,  which, at  the  time  the  author  of  Notes  on  Mexico 
visited  Guanaxuato,(1822)  were  the  national  colors  of  Mexico. 
According  to  Humboldt,  the  population  of  the  city  was 
41,000;  in  the  suburbs  and  mines  surrounding  it,  29,600  : 
total,  70,600.  But  from  a  census  taken  in  May,  1822,  the 
inhabitants  of  the  city  appear  to  have  amounted  only  to 
15,379,  and  the  total  population  only  to  35,733  ;  being  a 
diminution  of  one  half. 

Guanaxuato  is  chiefly  celebrated  for  its  gold  and  silver 
mines,  being  the  most  productive  in  the  world.  The  first 
mine  began  to  be  worked  in  1548,  but  for  a  considerable 
time  they  attracted  but  little  attention.  From  1676  to  1803, 
they  produced  gold  and  silver  to  the  value  of  12,720,061  Ibs. 
troy.  In  1803,  there  were  employed  on  the  works  5,000 
workmen,  1,896  grinding-mills,  and  14,618  mules.  There 
have  been  years  so  productive,  that  the  net  profit  of  the  two 
proprietors  of  the  single  mine  of  Valenciana  amounted  to  the 
sum  of  c£250,000  sterling.  When  the  proprietor  began  to 
work  the  vein  of  Guanaxuato  above  the  ravine  of  San  Xavier, 
goats  were  feeding  on  the  very  hill  which  ten  years  after 
wards  was  covered  with  a  town  of  7  or  8,000  inhabitants. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  city  are  represented  as  lively,  in 
telligent,  and  well  informed,  besides  being  extremely  hospita 
ble  and  friendly.  In  common,  however,  with  the  inhabitants 
of  most  mining  districts,  they  are  passionately  fond  of 
gambling.  The  author  whom  we  have  already  quoted,  re 
presents  the  commandant  of  the  city  as  a  great  amateur  of 
cockfighting  ;  and  he  remarks  that  he  was  not  a  little  an 
noyed  one  morning  by  the  continual  crowing  of  more  than  a 


600  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


GUANAXUATO. 


hundred  cocks,  the  property  of  this  worthy  person,  which, 
tied  by  one  leg,  were  arranged  along  the  pavement  on  both 
sides  of  the  street :  they  were  to  be  exhibited  at  the  ensuing 
Christmas.  "  In  all  the  towns  and  villages  of  Mexico,"  he 
says  "  cockfighting  is  the  favorite  diversion  of  the  people. 
Rich  and  poor,  men  and  women,  frequent  the  pits,  and 
sometimes  stake  all  they  are  worth  on  the  issue  of  a  battle 
fought  by  two  cocks  armed  with  shashers."  % 

Guanaxuato  is  liable  to  two  serious  inconveniences  from 
its  peculiarity  of  situation.  During  the  rainy  season,  it  is 
exposed  to  injury  from  the  violent  torrents  that  rash  from 
the  mountains  idown  the  barranca,  or  ravine, in  which  the  city 
stands,  in  their  passage  to  the  plain  of  Celaya.  Large  sums 
have  been  expended  on  works  to  restrain  these  torrents 
within  a  channel,  notwithstanding  which,  accidents  happen 
almost  every  year.  On  the  other  hand,  the  only  water  in  the 
city,  is  that  which  is  contained  in  the  cisterns  belonging  to 
the  wealthy  inhabitants.  About  two  miles  from  the  town, 
however,  there  are  deep  ravines,  which,  by  means  of  dams, 
are  made  to  serve  as  reservoirs :  the  water  is  brought  into 
the  city  on  the  backs  of  asses,  and  sold  at  six  cents  a  load. 


GUATEMALA 


GUATEMALA. 

THE  country  of  which  Guatemala  is  the  capital,  was  con 
quered  by  Pedro  de  Alvarado,  an  officer  who  accompanied 
Cortes  into  New  Spain,  and  who  was  sent  by  the  latter  to 
take  possession  of  Guatemala,  and  receive  the  subjection  of 
the  native  kings.  Alvarado  left  Mexico  on  the  13th  of  Nov. 
1523,  accompanied  by  300  Spaniards,  and  a  powerful  body 
of  Indian  auxiliaries.  The  conquest,  though  less  difficult 
than  that  of  Mexico,  was  not  effected  without  considerable 
bloodshed.  The  conquest  may  be  dated  from  May,  1524,  at 
which  time  a  decisive  victory  was  obtained. 

In  November,  1527,  a  city  was  commenced  by  Alvarado,  de 
signed  as  the  capital  of  the  new  government.  It  was  situated 
upon  the  skirt  of  the  mountain  called  the  Volcan  de  Agua, 
about  three  leagues  from  the  present  city.  This  continued 
to  be  the  principal  town  till  1541,  when  it  was  overwhelmed 
by  a  mountain  torrent,  which  destroyed  most  of  the  buildings, 
and  a  greater  part  of  the  inhabitants,  among  whom  was  the 
widow  of  Alvarado.  After  this  calamity,  the  principal  sur 
vivors  resolved  to  remove  the  capital  about  a  league  farther, 
where  it  would  be  more  secure  from  inundations  from  the 
neighboring  hills.  Here  they  founded  the  city  called  Old 
Guatemala,  or  La  Antigua,  on  the  22d  of  October,  1541, 
and  immediately  proceeded  to  erect  convents,  hospitals, 
churches,  a  university,  and  other  public  buildings. 

This  city  stood  in  a  delightful  valley,  shut  in  by  mountains 
and  hills  of  perpetual  verdure,  and  encompassed,  by  meadows 
and  lands,  which  supplied  pasturage  to  large  herds  of  cattle. 
Two  rivers  ran  through  the  valley,  and  supplied  the  gardens 
and  meadows,  the  farms  and  country  houses  with  every  con 
venience  for  irrigation.  The  climate  was  delightful,  and  a 
perpetual  spring  presented  its  varied  and  perpetual  bounties. 

But  this  city  was  destined  to  successive  calamities  more 
disastrous,  perhaps,  than  is  recorded  of  any  other  city  on  the 
globe.  601 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  603 


GUATEMALA. 


In  1558,  an  epidemic  disorder,  attended  with  a  violent 
bleeding  at  the  nose,  swept  away  great  numbers  of  the  in 
habitants.  Four  earthquakes,  each  of  which  seriously 
damaged  many  of  the  principal  buildings,  occurred  between 
1565  and  1581.  On  the  27th  of  December,  of  this  latter  year, 
the  population  was  again  alarmed  by  the  volcano,  which  be 
gan  to  emit  fire  ;  and  so  great  was  the  quantity  of  ashes 
thrown  out,  and  spread  in  the  air,  that  the  sun  was  entirely 
obscured,  and  artificial  light  was  necessary  in  the  city  at  mid 
day.  Processions  were  formed  to  implore  the  Divine  inter 
cession  ;  people  confessed  themselves  aloud  in  the  streets, 
being  persuaded  they  were  on  the  point  of  suffering  some 
awful  visitation  of  Providence.  A  northerly  wind,  however, 
at  last  relieved  them  from  their  fears,  by  dispersing  the  ashes 
towards  the  Pacific  ocean,  and  again  allowing  them  to  view 
the  splendor  of  the  sun.  On  the  14th  of  January,  1582,  the 
mountain  vomited  fire  with  great  force  for  24  hours  succes 
sively.  "  The  years  1585—6  were  dreadful  in  the  extreme. 
On  January  16th,  of  the  former,  earthquakes  were  felt,  and 
they  continued  through  that  and  the  following  year  so  fre 
quently,  that  not  an  interval  of  eight  days  elapsed,  during 
the  whole  period,  without  a  shock  more  or  less  violent. 
Fire  issued  incessantly,  for  months  together,  from  the  moun 
tain,  and  greatly  increased  the  general  consternation.  The 
most  disastrous  of  these  eruptions  took  place  on  the  23d  of 
December,  1586,  when  the  major  part  of  the  city  again  be 
came  a  heap  of  ruins,  burying  under  them  many  of  the  un 
fortunate  inhabitants  :  the  earth  shook  with  such  violence 
that  the  tops  of  the  high  ridges  were  torn  off,  and  deep 
chasms  formed  in  various  parts  of  the  level  ground  !  "  * 

From  this  time  to  1651,  the  city  was  visited  with  pestilence 
and  earthquakes,  which  destroyed  great  numbers.  On  the 
18th  of  February,  1651,  about  one  o'clock,  afternoon,  a  most 
extraordinary  subterranean  noise  was  heard,  and  imme 
diately  followed  by  three  violent  shocks,  at  very  short  inter 
vals  from  each  other,  which  threw  down  many  buildings,  and 
damaged  others  ;  the  tiles  from  the  roofs  of  the  houses  were 
dispersed  in  all  directions,  like  light  straws  by  a  gust  of 
wind  ;  the  bells  of  the  churches  were  rung  by  the  vibrations, 
masses  of  rock  were  detached  from  the  mountains;  and  even 
the  wild  beasts  were  so  terrified,  that,  losing  their  natural 
instinct,  they  quitted  their  retreats,  and  sought  shelter  from 

*  Modern  Traveller. 


604  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


GUATEMALA. 


the  habitations  of  men.  Among  these,  a  lion  of  great  size 
and  fierceness  entered  the  city,  on  the  southern  side,  and 
advanced  into  the  middle  of  it :  he  tore  down  a  paper  fixed 
against  one  of  the  consistorial  houses,  and  retreated  by  the 
streets  on  the  north  side.  These  shocks  were  repeated  fre 
quently  until  the  13th  of  April. 

"  The  year  1686  brought  with  it  another  dreadful  epidem 
ic,  which,  in  three  months,  swept  away  a  tenth  part  of  the 
inhabitants.  Some  of  them  died  suddenly  :  others  expired 
under  the  most  acute  pains  of  the  head,  breast,  and  bowels. 
No  remedy  was  discovered,  that  could  check  its  destructive 
progress,  although  many  of  the  deceased  were  opened,  to 
endeavor  by  that  means,  to  come  at  the  cause  of  the  disor 
der.  So  great  was  the  number  of  the  infected,  that  there 
was  not  a  sufficient  number  of  priests  to  administer  to  them 
the  religious  rites.  The  bells  were  no  longer  tolled  for  the 
dead,  individually,  and  the  corpses  were  buried  en  masse  in 
a  common  grave.  From  the  capital,  the  pestilence  spread 
to  the  neighboring  villages,  and  thence  to  the  more  remote 
ones,  causing  dreadful  havoc,  particularly  among  the  most 
robust  inhabitants. 

"  Again,  the  year  1717  was  memorable  :  on  the  night  of 
August  27th,  the  mountain  began  to  emit  flames,  attended 
by  a  continued  subterranean  rumbling  noise.  On  the  night 
of  the  28th,  the  eruption  increased  to  great  violence,  and 
very  much  alarmed  the  inhabitants.  The  images  of  saints 
were  carried  in  procession,  public  prayers  were  put  up,  day 
after  day  ;  but  the  '  terrifying  eruption  still  continued,  and 
was  followed  by  frequent  shocks,  at  intervals,  for  more  than 
four  months.  At  last,  on  the  night  of  September  29th,  the 
fate  of  Guatemala  appeared  to  be  decided,  and  inevitable 
destruction  was  apprehended  to  be  at  hand.  Great  was  the 
ruin  among  the  public  edifices ;  many  of  the  houses  were 
thrown  down,  and  nearly  all  that  remained  were  dreadfully 
injured,  but  the  greatest  devastation  was  seen  in  the  church 
es.  The  inhabitants,  from  what  they  actually  saw,  and  from 
what  their  terrors  suggested  to  them,  expected  the  total  sub 
version  of  the  place;  and  nearly  all  sought  refuge  in  the  vil 
lages  adjacent.  After  this  disaster,  they  solicited  permission 
of  the  government  to  remove  to  any  other  spot  that  might  be 
judged  less  exposed  to  the  effects  of  the  volcano  ;  but,  by  the 
time  the  council  of  the  Indies  transmitted  a  license  for  the 
removal,  they  had  recovered  from  the  panic,  returned  to  their 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  605 


GUATEMALA. 


dilapidated  dwellings,  had  repaired  a  great  part  of  the  city, 
and  no  longer  thought  of  making  the  transfer. 

"  But  at  length  the  day  which  was  to  seal  the  doom  of  this 
ill-fated  spot  arrived, — the  13th  of  December,  1773.  As 
early  as  the  month  of  May,  some  few  slight  shocks  were  per 
ceived ;  and  on  the  llth  of  June  a  very  violent  one  took 
place.  Its  duration  was  considerable;  many  houses  and 
several  churches  were  much  injured  ;  during  the  whole  of 
the  night,  the  shocks  were  repeated  at  short  intervals,  and 
for  some  days  afterwards,  with  less  frequency.  About  four 
o'clock,  on  the  afternoon  of  July  29th,  a  tremendous  vibra 
tion  was  felt,  and  shortly  after  began  the  dreadful  convul 
sion  that  decided  the  fate  of  the  unfortunate  city.  It  is  dif 
ficult,  even  for  those  who  were  witnesses  of  this  terrible  ca 
tastrophe,  to  describe  its  duration,  or  the  variety  of  its  undu 
lation,  so  entirely  did  terror  and  the  apprehension  of  imme 
diate  annihilation,  absorb  all  powers  of  reflection.  For  sev 
eral  days  these  shocks  continued,  and  sometimes  in  such 
quick  succession,  that  many  took  place  in  the  short  space  of 
fifteen  minutes.  On  the  7th  of  September  there  was  another, 
which  threw  down  most  of  the  buildings  that  were  damaged 
on  the  29th  of  July  ;  and  on  the  13th  of  December,  one  still 
more  violent  terminated  the  work  of  destruction." 

It  was  now  that  the  inhabitants,  wearied  with  rebuilding, 
resolved  upon  removing  their  situation  from  the  volcanoes, 
the  prolific  source  of  all  their  miseries.  After  several  ex 
aminations  a  part  of  the  Valley  of  Mexico,  ten  leagues  from 
the  site  of  their  ruined  city,  was  fixed  upon,  and  here  rose  the 
present,  or  New  Guatemala,  situated  in  latitude  14°  377  north, 
and  longitude  90°  30'  west — 90  miles  from  the  Atlantic; 
26  from  the  Pacific  ;  and  400  from  the  city  of  Mexico. 

"  The  valley  is  watered,"  says  Mr.  Dunn,  in  his  "  Guatema 
la,"  "  by  several  streams  and  lakes,  which  conduce  to  its  fer 
tility,  and  the  city  is  surrounded  by  numerous  small  villages, 
which  regularly  supply  its  market  with  the  various  fruits  and 
vegetables  of  the  country.  In  point  of  situation  it  is  cer 
tainly  inferior  to  the  old  city.  The  scenery  is  not  so  roman 
tic,  nor  are  the  lands  immediately  adjoining  so  well  culti 
vated,  yet  still  it  is  rich  enough  in  natural  beauties  to  bear,  in 
this  respect,  comparison  with  almost  any  other  city  in  the 
world. 

"  Owing  to  the  style  in  which  the  houses  are  built,  it  oc 
cupies  a  very  considerable  portion  of  ground,  and  appears  to 


606  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


GUATEMALA. 


an  European  eye,  when  viewed  from  a  little  distance,  much 
more  populous  and  extensive  than  it  really  is.  It  contains 
about  sixty  manazanes,  or  squares,  of  houses,  formed  by  the 
intersection  of  streets  at  right  angles,  which  vary  in  extent 
from  150  to  350  yards  in  front,  and  these  are  arranged  so  as 
to  form  one  large  square.  On  each  side  of  the  city,  as  the 
suburbs  have  increased,  other  .houses  have  been  erected, 
without  much  regard  to  uniformity.  The  streets  are  mostly 
broad,  but  wretchedly  paved,  with  a  considerable  declivity  on 
each  side,  which  forms  a  gutter  in  the  middle,  so  that  after  a 
heavy  shower  of  rain,  they  are  almost'  impassable  from  the 
sudden  stream  of  water  ;  at  other  times  the  sharp-pointed 
and  ill-arranged  pebbles  extort  groans  from  the  unhappy  suf 
ferer,  who,  in  light  shoes,  is  doomed  to  undergo  the  misera 
ble  penance  of  passing  over  them. 

"  In  walking  through  the  city,  the  first  thought  that  strikes 
a  stranger,  is,  that  Guatemala  is  one  of  the  dullest  places  he 
ever  entered.  This  melancholy  appearance  is  occasioned 
by  the  way  in  which  the  houses  are  built.  Consisting  of 
only  one  story,  and  occupying  a  great  deal  of  ground,  they 
present  to  the  street  only  a  series  of  whitewashed  walls  and 
red  tiled  roofs,  with  here  and  there  a  window,  carefully 
guarded  by  large  bars  of  iron,  and  a  pair  of  massy  folding 
doors,  studded  on  the  outside  with  heavy  nails,  thus  giving 
to  it,  at  the  best  of  times,  more  of  the  appearance  of  a  de 
serted  than  an  inhabited  cit. 


/aza,  or  market  place,  is  a  square  of  about  150 
yards  each  way,  with  a  fountain  in  the  middle,  and  besides 
the  daily  market  is  occupied  by  numerous  temporary  shops 
or  stalls,  and  surrounded  by  buildings,  offices,  and  shops. 
Projecting  piazzas  form  a  covered  walk  on  three  sides,  un 
der  which  trifling  articles  are  exposed  for  sale.  The  public 
buildings  are  numerous,  and  consist  of  an  university,  five 
convents,  fouc  nunneries,  a  cathedral,  four  parish  churches, 
and  fifteen  other  churches  or  chapels  of  minor  importance  ; 
besides  a  treasury,  mint,  and  other  government  offices. 
Most  of  these  are  in  a  good  style  of  architecture,  and  some 
of  them  judiciously  decorated.  In  comparison  with  the 
churches  of  Puebla  and  Mexico,  they  may  possess  few  at 
tractions,  but  remembering  the  circumstances  under  which 
they  were  built,  they  do  credit  to  the  taste  of  those  who  su 
perintended  their  erection. 

"  That   which  chiefly  distinguishes  Guatemala  from  the 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  607 


GUATEMALA. 


other  cities  of  the  New  World,  is  its  numerous  and  beautiful 
aqueducts  and  pilas  for  the  regular  distribution  of  water  all 
over  the  metropolis.  From  a  fine  spring,  which  rises  in  the 
mountains,  at  one  league  and  a  half  south-east  of  the  city, 
the  stream  is  conducted  by  means  of  pipes  into  no  less  than 
twelve  public  reservoirs,  from  which  it  is  again  carried  into 
every  private  house,  regularly  supplying,  sometimes  one,  and 
oftentimes  two  or  more  pilas  or  stone  baths  with  excellent 
water.  This  aqueduct  must  have  cost  an  immensity  of  labor 
to  complete,  being  brought  in  some  places  over  valleys,  upon 
ranges  of  arches,  and  in  others  under  ground  by  means  of 
tunnels. 

"  The  public  fountains  and  reservoirs  are  many  of  them 
of  superior  workmanship,  and  ornament  the  streets  in  which 
they  are  placed.  Most  of  these  have  rows  of  troughs  con 
nected  with  them,  in  which  those  of  the  lower  classes,  who 
have  not  water  in  their  houses,  wash  their  linen.  It  is 
amusing  to  see  sometimes  thirty  or  forty  women  busily  em 
ployed  in  this  manner,  and  most  industriously  rubbing  the 
piece  of  cloth  they  wish  to  clean,  against  a  stone,  a  plan 
which  is  universally  pursued,  although  manifestly  to  the 
speedy  destruction  of  the  article  undergoing  the  operation. 
But  like  many  other  good  housewives,  the  Gautemalian  ladies 
have  their  prejudices,  and  will  not  be  persuaded  that  hot 
water  is  preferable  to  cold,  and  would  remove  the  necessity 
of  such  rough  treatment. 

"  The  houses  of  the  respectable  citizens  are  well  built,  and 
commodiously  arranged.  A  description  of  one  will  give  an 
idea  of  the  rest.  Let  us  enter,  then,  at  that  great  folding- 
door,  looking  like  an  inn  gate,  with  blank  walls  on  each  side. 
We  open  it,  and  immediately  find  ourselves  in  a  large  square 
court-yard,  in  the  middle  of  which  is  an  orange-tree  in  full 
bloom.  All  around  it  is  a  covered  walk  or  piazza,  raised 
about  a  foot  from  the  ground,  the  roof  supported  by  wooden 
pillars.  Under  this  piazza  are  seven  or  eight  doors,  leading 
into  different  apartments,  each  one  having  an  interior  com 
munication  with  the  rest,  and  all  of  course  on  the  ground 
floor,  stairs  being  almost  unknown  in  Guatemala.  The  first 
room  will  probably  be  a  common  chamber,  the  next  a  sala  or 
drawingroorn,  furnished  with  ten  or  a  dozen  antique  chairs, 
an  old-fashioned  settee,  with  a  slip  of  mat  before  it  for  a  car 
pet,  and  two  small  dressing-tables,  placed  at  an  immense  dis 
tance  from  one  another,  each  holding  the  image  of  a  saint 


608  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


GUATEMALA. 


carefully  enclosed  in  glass.  Three  or  four  pictures  will 
adorn  the  clean  whitewashed  walls,  and  two  lamps,  cased  in 
silver,  will  be  hanging  from  a  roof  in  which  all  the  native 
beams  are  to  be  seen,  with  here  and  there  a  straggling  cob 
web.  The  floor,  like  that  of  all  the  rest  of  the  rooms,  will  be 
paved  with  red  tiles,  its  cleanliness  depending  upon  the  civili 
zation  of  its  owner. 

"  From  hence  we  pass  into  a  third  apartment,  probably 
the  chief  bed-chamber,  serving  also  for  a  daily  sitting-room, 
in  which  to  receive  visiters.  It  will  contain  a  handsome 
bed,  a  large  mahogany  wardrobe,  a  few  chairs,  and  a  cup 
board  with  glass  doors,  in  which  may  be  seen  carefully  ar 
ranged  all  the  stock  of  china,  from  the  blue  wash-hand-ba 
sin  down  to  the  diminutive  coffee-cup,  till  lately  a  more  valu- 
ble  property  than  a  similar  service  of  silver.  By  the  side  of 
the  bed  will  hang  an  image  of  the  Saviour  on  the  cross,  un 
der  a  little  scarlet  canopy,  and  on  a  small  table  in  another 
corner  will  be  placed  St.  Joseph,  or  the  Virgin.  The  two 
next  rooms  will  have  little  furniture  besides  a  bed,  a  chair, 
and  an  image.  We  shall  therefore  pass  on  into  the  comedor 
or  dining-room,  which  will  contain  only  one  large  oak  table 
(a  fixture)  and  seven  or  eight  common  wooden  chairs.  Next 
to  this  will  be  the  cocina,  in  one  corner  a  large  baking  oven 
of  an  open  shape,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  room  a  mass  of 
solid  brick  work,  three  or  four  feet  high,  containing  six  or 
seven  cavities  for  small  charcoal  fires,  and  conveniences  for 
preparing  the  thousnnd  different  stews  which  are  compound 
ed  in  a  Spanish  kitchen.  To  the  right  of  this,  will  be  an  in 
ner  yard  with  its  pila  or  cistern  of  water,  and  further  on,  the 
stables,  with  a  second  for  the  use  of  the  cattle.  The  remain 
ing  apartments  will  be  occupied  according  to  the  property  or 
family  of  the  owner,  and  this  is  a  fair  description  of  a  respect 
able  house,  letting  for  a  rent  equal  to  about  c£80  a  year,  Eng 
lish  money,  in  the  city  of  New  Guatemala." 

The  immoderate  use  of  tobacco  by  both  sexes  is  thus  noticed 
by  Mr.  Dunn.  "  In  private  or  in  public — alone  or  in  socie 
ty,  the  Gtiateinalian  must  have  his  cigar,  and  the  lady  her  ci- 
garrito*  His  proudest  accomplishment  is  to  strike  a  light 

*  A  diminutive  cigar,  made  by  rolling  a  small  portion  of  tobacco  in 
the  leaf  of  maize  :  ten  of  these  are  esteemed  equal  to  a  common  cigar, 
called  for  the  sake  of  distinction,  purros. 


IN    NORTH    AMERICA.  609 


GUATEMALA. 


with  his  pocket  match,  neatly  cased  in  silver,  and  present  his 
lighted  cigar  to  her  genteelly,  and  she  in  return  permits  him 
to  spit  in  every  corner  of  her  room,  without  molestation.  A 
gentleman  consumes  daily  from  fifteen  to  twenty  purros,  and 
a  lady  of  moderate  pretensions  to  celebrity,  fifty  cigarritos. 
No  business  can  be  transacted,  no  bargain  made  without  ex 
changing  the  cigar,  and  both  in  the  streets  arid  public  places 
of  amusement,  the  ladies  are  to  be  seen  smoking  as  com 
posedly  as  in  their  own  houses." 

The  following  amusing  account  is  given  by  the  same  au 
thor,  of  the  occupations  of  a  domestic  man  during  one  day. 
"At  six  he  rises,  and  if  it  be  one  of  their  numerous  feast 
days,  accompanies  his  wife  to  mass,  at  which,  rich  and 
poor,  master  and  servants,  indiscriminately  kneel  without 
distinction  of  rank  or  place.  Returning  about  seven,  they 
take  chocolate,  which  answers  to  our  breakfast,  with  this  ex 
ception,  that  it  is  not  made  a  social  meal.  Each  one  enters 
the  corridor  at  the  hour  most  agreeable  to  himself  and  is 
then  supplied  with  his  cup  of  chocolate,  made  very  thick  and 
sweet,  which,  with  a  small  loaf  of  bread,  an  egg,  a  little  fried 
meat,  and  a  glass  of  clear  spring  water,  serves  him  till  dinner. 

"  At  this  hour,  during  the  warmer  months,  the  habit  of 
bathing,  for  which  the  houses  afford  so  many  conveniences, 
is  very  general,  but  in  any  other  way  the  inhabitants  appear 
to  have  the  greatest  aversion  to  the  application  of  water. 
For  weeks  together  the  most  respectable  inhabitants  never 
wash  their  hands,  faces,  or  teeth,  and  the  slightest  sickness 
serves  as  a  pretext  for  delaying  the  operation  as  well  as  that  of 
shaving,  frequently  for  months  ;  so  that  you  have  only  to 
look  at  a  gentleman's  beard  to  know  how  long  he  has  had  a 
cold,  or  to  a  lady's  face  to  discover  when  she  last  fancied 
herself  indisposed. 

"  From  ten  to  twelve  are  the  usual  hours  for  morning 
calls,  and  receiving  visits.  These  possess  in  genera!  the 
same  characteristics  as  in  other  parts  of  the  world.  Friends 
meet  as  lovingly,  talk  as  scandalously,  hate  each  other  as 
cordially,  and  lie  as  gracefully  here,  as  in  the  most  polished 
cities  of  civilized  Europe.  The  only  points  of  difference 
are,  that  the  ladies  shout  out  their  observations  in  the  high 
est  rule  of  the  gamut,  becloud  each  other's  beauties  with  the 
fumes  of  tobacco,  and  part  with  an  embrace  as  cordial  as  the 
majority  of  modern  English  kiss.  These  parties  generally 
meet  in  the  ladies'  bedroom,  the  gentlemen  dressed  *  a  la 

39  


610  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

GUATEMALA. 

Inglesa,'  with  coats  cut  any  thing  but  anatomically,  and  the 
ladies  in  black  silk,  with  lace  mantilla  for  the  head,  splendid 
ly-worked  silk  stockings,  and  shoes  almost  diminutive  enough 
for  the  Empress  of  China. 

"  Modesty  and  prudery  are  here  understood  to  be  synony 
mous,  and  subjects  are  freely  discussed  in  mixed  parties,  to 
which  common  delicacy  would  seem  to  forbid  the  slightest 
allusion. 

"  At  one  they  dine  on  soup,  rice,  vegetables,  and  meat  of 
various  kinds,  cooked  in  as  many  different  ways,  with  dulces 
or  sweetmeats  for  a  dessert,  of  which  about  200  sorts  are  pre 
pared.  Fish  frequently  appears  towards  the  close  of  the  meal, 
and  fruit  is  introduced  before  the  cloth  is  drawn.  Scarcely 
any  wine  is  drank.  In  many  of  the  most  respectable  families 
it  does  not  even  make  its  appearance  on  the  table.  The 
whole  concludes  with  a  recitation  miscalled  a  thanksgiving. 

"  From  the  corridor  each  individual  adjourns  to  his  bed 
room,  to  take  the  siesta  and  digest  his  dinner.  So  universal 
is  the  practice,  that  from  two  to  three  the  streets  are  deserted. 
Old  and  young,  masters  and  servants,  are  alike  reclining  on 
beds  and  sofas.  The  very  domestic  animals  at  this  hour 
are  to  be  seen  stretching  themselves  in  the  sun,  and,  par 
taking  of  the  infection,  'join  the  general  troop  of  sleep.' 
Between  three  and  four,  things  begin  to  revive,  and  first  one 
and  then  another,  yawning,  rubs  his  eyes,  and  strolls  to  the 
clock  to  see  how  time  has  passed  during  his  slumbers.  To 
wards  four  the  corridor  again  becomes  frequented  for  choco 
late,  after  which  the  occupations  of  the  day  are  once  more 
resumed. 

"  Let  us  then  take  a  walk  into  the  street  and  see  what  is 
passing  there.  The  daily  market  is  about  over,  and  contains 
only  a  few  stragglers,  buying  at  a  cheaper  rate  the  refuse  of  the 
day's  sales;  ten  or  a  dozen  half  naked  Indians  are  basking 
in  the  sun  ;  three  or  four  soldiers  are  reclining  against  the 
pillars  of  the  piazzas  humming  a  revolutionary  air  ;  and  a  lit 
tle  further  on  are  two  or  three  devoted  Catholics,  most  de 
voutly  kneeling  before  the  image  of  a  saint,  and  apparently 
in  a  state  of  the  most  perfect  abstraction.  In  a  little  while 
the  tinkling  of  a  bell  is  heard,  notifying  the  approach  of  the 
Vaticum.  Instantly  high  and  low,  poor  and  rich,  are  on  their 
knees;  till,  as  its  feeble  sound  dies  in  the  distance,  one  by 
one  they  rise  and  pursue  their  way. 

"  The  costume  of  the  street  varies  little  from  that  of  the 
house.  The  ladies  who  in  the  morning  are  to  be  seen  only 


IN   NORTH   AMERICA.  611 


GUATEMALA. 


in  black,  now  parade  the  streets  in  dashing  silk  gowns,  and 
without  any  covering  for  the  head,  while  the  fashionable 
beaux  lounge  by  their  sides  in  printed  cotton  jackets  and 
Spanish  cloaks,  with  one  end  carelessly  thrown  over  the 
right  shoulder.  The  shops,  although  generally  well  supplied 
with  goods,  possess  no  attractions.  All  are  without  windows, 
and  nothing  is  displayed  ;  the  open  doorway  being  half  cov 
ered  with  cloth  to  keep  out  the  sun.* 

"  Returning  to  our  temporary  home,  as  the  evening  sets 
in,  we  find  the  gentlemen  just  come  back  from  an  excursion 
to  the  suburbs,  on  their  pacing  mules  or  horses  ;  each  rider 
seated  on  a  saddle  rising  three  or  four  inches  before  and  be 
hind,  and  armed  with  an  enormous  pair  of  silver  spurs.  Be- 
Tore  the  animal  is  a  large  skin  of  some  shaggy  coated  animal, 
hanging  down  to  the  heavy  Spanish  box  stirrup,  or  still  heavier 
or  indescribable  one  of  iron,  over  which  lies  the  long  ta 
per  end  of  the  bridle,  made  of  narrow  slips  of  hide  twisted 
into  a  cord,  and  so  long  as  to  serve  the  purposes  of  a  whip. 
To  this  is  affixed  an  enormous  bit,  under  which  the  poor 
beast  writhes,  and  is  effectually  subdued. 

"  By  about  seven  o'clock  the  last  gleam  of  twilight  has 
disappeared,  and  the  servants  enter  with  the  lights,  reciting 
most  devoutly  the  '  Bendito,'  which  may  be  thus  translated: 
'  Blessed  and  praised  be  the  holy  sacrament  of  the  altar  for 
ever  and  ever.'  In  another  hour  the  sala  has  assumed  its 
evening  character  ;  cloaks  and  swords  occupy  the  corner  of 
the  room — a  small  table  at  the  farther  end  is  surrounded  by 
a  party  busily  employed  at  '  monte,'  (a  game  of  cards,) 
amidst  clouds  of  smoke, — and  at  the  other  end  some  lady, 
regardless  of  the  noisy  tongues  of  the  gambler,  is  playing  a 
popular  air  on  a  wretched  marimba,  or  still  worse  piano, 
accompanying  it  with  her  voice.  The  miserable  light  yield 
ed  by  two  thin,  long-wicked  tallow  candles,  in  massive  silver 
candlesticks,  throws  a  gloom  over  the  apartment,  strangely 
in  contrast  with  the  light-hearted  gayety  of  its  occupants. 
Formal  parties  are  rare  ;  friends  drop  in  towards  the  evening 
without  ceremony,  amuse  themselves  for  an  hour  or  two,  and 
retire  generally  without  taking  any  kind  of  refreshment. 

"About  ten  o'clock  the  different  members  of  the  family  sit 
down  to  a  supper,  differing  little  from  the  dinner,  eat  heartily 
of  its  various  dishes,  and  with  stomachs  loaded  to  a  degree 
that  would  make  most  people  tremble  for  fear  of  apoplexy, 
retire  to  bed,  and  in  half  an  hour  are  all  soundly  asleep.  In 
the  more  religious  families,  recitations  of  about  a  quarter  of 


612  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


GUATKMALA. 


an  hour  in  length,  and  mostly  to  the  Virgin,  are  practised  on 
those  evenings  when  there  are  no  visiters. 

"  Marrying  and  giving  in  marriage  here,  as  in  other  coun 
tries,  is  distinguished  by  peculiar  customs.  When  the  con 
sent  of  parents  has  been  obtained,  if  the  lover  have  no  pre 
vious  establishment,  the  parents  of  the  lady  place  in  it,  at 
their  own  expense,  a  handsome  bed,  and  plentiful  supply  of 
household  linen.  This  having  been  done,  the  intended 
bridegroom,  on  the  day  previous  to  the  celebration  of  the 
nuptials,  sends  to  his  future  wife,  dresses,  jewels  and  orna 
ments,  in  proportion  to  his  wealth.  The  ceremony  is  gener 
ally  performed  before  daylight  on  the  following  morning,  and 
all  attendant  expenses  are  paid  by  the  parents  of  the  bride. 
The  newly  married  couple  then  adjourn  to  the  house  of  the 
lady's  father,  where  they  reside  for  fifteen  or  twenty  days. 

"The  other  rites  of  the  Church  are  conducted  in  the  same 
way  as  in  other  Catholic  countries.  Funerals  are  very  expen 
sive,  owing  not  only  to  the  number  of  individuals  who  take 
part  in  the  ceremony,  but  also  to  the  splendid  dresses  in 
which  bodies  are  interred.  The  wealthy  throw  away  consider 
able  sums  in  the  indulgence  of  foolish  vanity,  and  not  unfre- 
quently  expend  a  sum  equal  to  =£50  sterling  upon  the  inter 
ment  of  a  new-born  infant. 

"  The  most  splendid  funeral  I  witnessed  in  Guatemala," 
continues  Mr.  Dunn,  "  was  that  of  a  rich  Canonigo.  The 
friars  of  the  different  convents,  two  by  two,  led  the  proces 
sion,  one  bearing  a  massy  silver  cross,  and  the  others 
lighted  wax  candles,  the  canonigos  and  the  doctors  following 
in  their  robes.  After  the  bier,  walked  the  priests  and  curas, 
two  by  two,  the  chief  of  the  state,  the  friends  of  the  late 
canon,  and  the  principal  military  oflicers.  Between  tTie 
house  of  the  deceased  and  the  place  of  interment,  a  distance 
of  about  590  yards,  were  arranged  at  equal  distances  in  the 
street,  four  large  tables  covered  with  black  cloth,  and  hold 
ing  six  immense  wax  candles  in  massy  silver  candlesticks.  On 
each  of  these,  the  body,  extended  upon  a  splendid  bier 
and  clothed  in  the  richest  robes,  was  placed.  The  proces 
sion  formed  around  it,  a  mass  was  sung,  and  holy  water 
thrown  upon  the  body  by  one  of  the  doctors,  after  which  the 
whole  moved  on  to  the  next  resting  place,  where  the  same 
formalities  were  observed.  On  its  arrival  at  the  cathedral, 
the  body  was  placed  in  the  middle  aisle,  the  members  of  the 
procession  ranged  themselves  on  either  side,  with  their  light 
ed  tapers, — crowds  of  spectators  knelt  in  front,  and  other 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA.  613 


GUATEMALA. 


crowds  stood  in  silence  behind,  as  with  one  consent,  every 
voice  began  to  sing  the  solemn  mass.  This  imposing  cere 
mony  lasted  for  some  hours,  after  which  the  corpse  was  depos 
ited  in  one  of  the  vaults  below  the  cathedral. 

"  The  lower  orders  bury  in  the  *  Santo  Campo,'  or  conse 
crated  ground,  behind  the  cathedral,  where  many  simple  me 
morials  to  the  dead  have  been  erected.  After  the  funeral,  an 
1  almoneda,'  something  like  an  auction,  takes  place  of  the 
goods  of  the  deceased.  The  various  articles  of  furniture  are 
arranged  in  the  room,  and  ticketed  with  a  small  paper,  on 
which  is  written  the  lowest  number  of  dollars  for  which  the 
article  can  be  disposed  of.  An  Indian  is  then  placed  at  the 
window  near  the  street,  proclaiming  with  a  loud  voice  the  al 
moneda  within.  The  public  then  enter  to  view  the  goods, 
and  any  one  choosing  an  article  at  the  affixed  price  is  per 
mitted  to  take  it,  after  it  has  been  publicly  exposed  to  the  of 
fers  of  a  higher  bidder.  If  after  three  days,  any  of  the  arti 
cles  remain  unsold,  they  are  reticketed  at  two  thirds  of  the 
former  price." 

According  to  Mr.  Dunn,  the  state  of  society  in  Guatemala 
is  wretched  in  the  extreme.  "  The  pure  and  simple  sweets  of 
domestic  life,  with  its  thousand  tendernesses,  and  its  gentle 
affections,  are  here  exchanged  for  the  feverish  joys  of  a  dissi 
pated  hour  ;  and  the  peaceful  home  of  love  is  converted  into 
a  theatre  of  mutual  accusations  and  recriminations. 

"  Among  the  lower  orders  this  loose  and  vicious  life  leads 
to  excesses,  which, unrestrained  by  a  vigilant  police,  produce 
the  most  melancholy  consequences.  The  men  generally  car 
ry  a  large  knife  stuck  in  the  belt  against  the  back,  and  the 
women  a  similar  one,  fastened  in  the  garter  of  the  stocking. 
These  on  every  trifling  occasion  theyiraw,  and  the  result  is 
often  fatal.  Not  a  day  passes  in  which  some  one  or  other 
does  not  stain  his  hands  in  the  blood  of  a  fellow-creature. 
On  feast  days  and  on  Sundays,  the  average  number  killed  is 
from  four  to  five.  From  the  number  admitted  into  the  hos 
pital  of  St.  Juan  de  Dios,  it  appears  that  in  the  year  1827, 
near  1,500  were  stabbed  in  drunken  quarrels,  of  whom  from  3 
to  400  died.  Of  these,  probably  fifty  or  sixty  were  assassi 
nated  secretly,  without  having  any  opportunity  of  defence. 

"  The  police,  if  such  a  thing  can  be  said  to  exist,  takes 
notice  of  those  events,  and  it  would  seem  fabulous  to  relate, 
were  it  not  confirmed  by  the  most  respectable  testimony,  that 


614  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


GUATEMALA. 


there  is  at  liberty  in  Guatemala,  at  the  present  moment,  more 
than  one,  of  whom  it  is  known  that  they  have  murdered 
several  individuals.  The  respectable  inhabitants  defend  them 
selves  by  carrying  swords  or  pocket  pistols  in  the  evening, 
and  are  rarely  molested  ;  while  the  lower  orders  avenge  the 
death  of  their  relatives,  by  taking  away  the  life  of  the  murder 
er,  the  first  convenient  opportunity. 

"A  circumstance  of  this  kind  occurred  while  I  was  re 
siding  at  Guatemala,  very  near  to  the  house  in  which  I  lived. 
About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  a  poor  man  was  ob 
served  lying  dead  in  the  street,  who  had  evidently  been  mur 
dered.  For  some  time,  no  notice  was  taken  of  him ;  at 
length  he  was  carried  by  some  passers  by  to  the  hospital,  and 
it  was  immediately  known  that  he  had  been  killed  by  a  shoe 
maker,  who  resided  near,  and  whose  brother  had  fallen  some 
months  ago,  by  the  hand  of  the  deceased.  This  man  had 
now  absented  himself,  but  no  means  were  used  for  his  appre 
hension.  A  few  shoulders  were  shrugged,  a  few  '  que  basti- 
mas '  (what  a  pity !)  uttered,  and  there  the  matter  ended. 
The  shoemaker  returned  in  a  few  days,  resumed  his  occupa 
tions,  and  remains  still  undisturbed,  unless  some  other  has  in 
turn,  passed  him  to  his  final  account. 

"  The  only  offences  noticed  are  political  ones,  and  in  these 
cases  the  soldiers  act  as  civil  officers.  Of  their  suitability, 
one  melancholy  instance  fell  under  my  observation.  A  lieu 
tenant  of  infantry,  and  eight  soldiers,  were  despatched  to  take 
a  man  prisoner,  who  had  committed  some  offence  against 
the  State.  They  entered  the  room  in  which  he  was  sitting 
alone,  about  nine  o'clock,  in  the  evening.  He  -immediately 
blew  out  the  candle,  and  fired  a  pistol  at  the  officer,  whom 
he  wounded.  The  eight  soldiers  report  that  their  muskets 
missed  fire :  it  is  onl^L  known  that  in  the  confusion  the  pris 
oner  escaped,  and  has  not  since  been  heard  of.  A  suspicion 
having  arisen  a  few  days  afterwards,  that  he  was  concealed 
in  Guatemala,  a  second  detachment  was  sent  to  capture  him. 
The  party  mistook  a  discharged  postman,  who  was  in  the 
house,  for  their  prisoner  :  the  poor  fellow  resisted  with  a 
sword,  and  was  immediately  killed.  Not  content  with  pass 
ing  five  or  six  bullets  through  him,  they  pierced  him  with 
their  bayonets,  in  order  to  assure  themselves  of  his  death,  and 
for  this  feat  the  leader  of  the  detachment  was  raised  from  a 
lieutenant  to  the  rank  of  a  captain.  After  this,  no  further 
search  was  made  for  the  real  delinquent,  and  in  two  or  three 
days  the  whole  affair  was  forgotten." 


SOUTH     AMERICA. 


BRAZIL. 


ST.  SEBASTIAN,  OR  RIO  DE  JANEIRO. 

THE  city  of  St.  Sebastian,  now  called,  Rio,  or  Rio  de  Jan 
eiro,  the  capital  of  the  empire  of  Brazil,  is  situated  on  the 
western  shore  of  the  great  bay  from  which  it  takes  its  name. 
This  bay  was  discovered  on  the  1st  of  January,  1531,  by 
Martin  Alphonso  de  Souza,  who,  supposing  that  the  fine  ex 
panse  of  water  was  only  the  estuary  of  some  great  river,  like 
the  mouth  of  the  Amazon,  or  Oronoko,  called  it  Rio  de  Jan 
eiro,  or  River  of  January.  This  very  improper  name  the 
bay  and  river  retain,  and  also  the  city  itself. 

For  many  years,  this  fine  harbor  remained  unnoticed,  but 
in  the  year  1558,  Nicholas  Villegaynon,  a  Frenchman,  was 
employed  by  the  leaders  of  the  Hugonots  in  France,  to  take 
charge  of  a  colony  of  their  persecuted  people,  assigned  to 
settle  at  Rio.  Two  clergymen  of  that  persuasion  were  se 
lected  at  Guiana,  with  fourteen  students  in  divinity,  to  act  as 
pastors  for  the  present,  and  supply  future  congregations,  as 
they  should  be  wanted.  There  was,  therefore,  every  reason 
to  hope  that  the  reformation  would  take  root  here,  and  in 
process  of  time  fill  the  south,  as  well  as  the  north  of  the  new 
world,  with  a  Protestant  people.  But  Villegaynon  seems 
to  have  been  utterly  unworthy  of  his  trust.  He  commenced 
a  persecution  against  these  unfortunate  men,  who  had  left 
their  own  country  for  conscience  sake,  till  he  drove  many  of 
them  from  this  place  also.  Some  requested  permission  to  re 
turn  to  Europe,  arid  he  provided  a  vessel  so  badly  found,  that 
they  refused  to  embark,  and  were  persecuted  to  death  on  the 
island. 

Meanwhile  the  Portuguese,  jealous  of  this  encroachment, 

and    alarmed   at  the  progress  of  these  strangers  of  the   new 

faith,    sent  an    armament    from  Bahia  to    dispossess  them. 

Unable   to  make  an  effectual  resistance,  the   colonists    were 

G16 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  617 

ST.  SEBASTIAN,    OR    RIO    DE  JANEIRO. 

driven  from  their  settlement,  and  their  fortress  was  taken,  and 
demolished. 

In  1567,  Catharine,  who  governed  the  kingdom  of  Spain 
as  regent  during  the  minority  of  Sebastian,  directed  a  city  to 
be  built  on  the  spot,  where  it  now  stands,  and  to  be  called 
St.  Sebastian. 

In  1808,  the  royal  family  of  Portugal,  being  obliged  to 
abandon  Europe,  in  consequence  of  the  invasion  of  their 
country,  took  up  their  residence  at  Rio,  where  they  con 
tinued  till  1821.  This  circumstance  conferred  on  the  city 
great  advantages,  and  contributed  more  than  all  other  causes 
to  its  growth  and  prosperity. 

The  harbor  of  Rio  is  one  of  the  most  capacious,  com 
modious,  and  beautiful  in  the  world.  The  immediate  back 
ground  of  the  city,  is  formed  by  beautiful  green  hills,  cov 
ered  with  woods,  and  interspersed  with  villas  and  convents  ; 
while  the  foreground  is  enlivened  by  the  vessels  of  all  nations. 
The  bay  contains  nearly  a  hundred  islands.  From  either 
shore  rise  lofty  and  well-clad  mountains,  terminating,  in  some 
places,  in  abrupt  precipices  of  the  wildest  and  most  romantic 
forms.  At  their  base,  white  cottages  and  houses  are  scat 
tered  amid  patches  of  cultivation,  and  narrow  valleys  of 
orange-trees  wind  among  the  mountains.  Every  little  emi 
nence  has  its  church  or  its  port ;  and  innumerable  boats  flit 
ting  about  the  bay,  and  mingling  with  the  shipping,  add  ani 
mation  and  interest  to  the  scene.  The  air  is  soft,  the  sky 
generally  cloudless,  and  every  breeze  bears  over  the  calm 
waters  the  fragrance  of  the  orange  and  the  lemon.  Such  is 
the  glowing  language  in  which  modern  travellers  describe  the 

first  appearance  of  the  Brazilian  capital. 

• 

Far  more  has  been  done  for  this  beautiful  portion  of  the 
new  world  by  nature,  than  by  man.  The  style  of  architec 
ture  in  Rio  is,  in  general,  mean,  resembling  that  of  the  old 
part  of  Lisbon;  and  though  this  town  has  always  ranked  as 
the  most  important  in  Brazil,  or  as  second  only  to  Bahia,  at 
the  time  that  the  latter  was  the  seat  of  government,  yet,  it  is 
only  since  the  emigration  of  the  court,  that  it  has  assumed 
the  character  of  a  European  city.  Some  idea  of  what  Rio 
was,  may  be  gathered  from  the  improvements,  which  are 
mentioned  by  Mr.  Luccock,  as  having  taken  place  at  the  pe 
riod  of  his  second  visit  to  the  capital  in  1813,  in  the  course 
of  the  preceding  five  years.  The  city  had  been  greatly  en- 


618  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 

ST.  SEBASTIAN,  OR    RIO    DE    JANEIRO. 

larged ;  the  old  streets  greatly  improved  in  cleanliness,  and  the 
houses  in  neatness  ;  the  roads  cleared  and  widened  ;  and  vil 
las  and  gardens  had  begun  to  adorn  the  vicinity.  "  An  in 
crease  of  domestic  comfort,"  he  adds,  "  had  arisen  from  the 
establishment  of  a  market  for  cattle  without  the  city,  and  of 
several  markets  for  vegetables  and  fruit  within  it ;  from  a  more 
abundant  and  regular  supply  of  fish,  and  the  more  free  use 
of  mutton ;  from  greater  care  with  respect  to  the  quality  of 
meat,  and  the  cleanliness  of  the  places  where  it  was  slaughter 
ed  and  exposed  for  sale.  Craftsmen  of  different  descriptions 
had  made  their  appearance  ;  among  them,  so  many  smiths, 
that  it  was  no  longer  difficult  to  gut  a  horse  shod.  Mills  for 
grinding  corn  had  been  much  improved,  and  bread  was  come 
more  into  use.  Charcoal  was  manufactured,  and,  for  cook 
ing,  introduced  into  the  houses.  Nuisances  were  more  read 
ily  removed,  and  even  scavengers  were  now  and  then  seen 
in  the  streets." 

Among  the  nuisances  which  had  been  removed,  were  the 
gloomy  projections  from  the  upper  windows,  called  jcahusie s, 
which  have  given  way,  by  the  king's  command,  for  open  bal 
conies.  These  jealousies  were  raised  on  platforms  of  stone, 
two  and  a  half  feet  broad,  and  extended  to  the  top  of  the 
window.  They  were  formed  of  lattice  work  of  a  fanciful 
pattern,  divided  into  panncls,  or  compartments,  some  of  which 
were  fitted  up  with  hinges  at  the  top,  so  as  to  form  a  sort  of 
flap,  which  when  opened  a  little  way,  allowed  persons  in  the 
balcony  to  look  down  into  the  street,  without  being  seen  them 
selves.  They  gave  to  the  fronts  of  the  houses  a  dull,  heavy 
and  suspicious  appearance.  The  ostensible  motive  for  their 
removal  was  to  improve  the  appearance  of  the  city  ;  the  real 
cause  was  said  to  be  an  apprehension  that,  sooner  or  later,  these 
jealousies  might  become  amtfbscades  for  assassins,  who  un 
seen  and  unsuspected,  might  thence  discharge  the  fatal  bullet. 

To  pursue  the  description  of  the  capital  :  the  streets, 
which  are  straight  and  narrow,  are  paved  with  granite,  and 
are  now  provided  with  a  raised  pavement  for  the  foot  pas 
sengers  ;  but  they  are  very  sparingly  lighted,  and  hardly 
more  than  a  few  hours  in  the  night,  by  the  lamps  placed  be 
fore  the  images  of  the  Virgin.  The  houses,  which  are  gen 
erally  of  two  stories,  and  low  and  narrow  in  proportion  to 
their  depth,  are,  for  the  most  part,  built  of  blocks  of  granite  : 
the  upper  story,  however,  is  often  of  wood.  The  thresholds, 
door  posts,  lintels,  and  window  frames,  are  of  massy  granite, 
or  feltspar,  brought  from  Bahia,  in  a  state  ready  for  use. 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  619 

ST.  SEBASTIAN,    OR   RIO    DE    JANEIRO. 

The  roofs  are  universally  covered  with  semitubular  tiles. 
The  lower  story  is  commoWy  occupied  by  the  shop  and 
warehouse  ;  the  second,  (and  third,  if  there  be  one,)  by  the 
family  apartments,  to  which  there  are  long  and  narrow  pas 
sages  taken  from  the  ground  floor,  and  communicating  with 
the  street.  In  the  outskirts  of  the  town  the  streets  are  un- 
paved,  and  the  houses  are  of  only  one  floor,  low,  small,  and 
dirty,  with  the  doors  and  windows  of  lattice-work,  opening 
outward  to  the  annoyance  of  passengers.  The  rents  of 
houses  are  nearly  as  high  as  they  are  in  London.* 

The  houses  are  all  numbered,  says  Walsh,  in  a  more  con 
venient  manner  than  ours.  The  odd  numbers  are  marked 
on  the  right  hand  side,  and  the  even  on  the  left :  the  passen 
ger  being  always  supposed  to  have  his  face  towards  the 
palace.  This  greatly  abridges  inquiry,  as  you  always  know  the 
side  of  the  street  on  which  the  house  you  want  is  to  be  found. 
Formerly,  the  only  light  afforded  to  passengers  at  night  pro 
ceeded  from  the  tapers  burning  before  the  shrines  of  saints 
at  the  corners  of  streets.  Lamps,  however,  are  now  sufficient 
ly  numerous,  and  the  town  is  as  well  provided  as  most  cities 
on  the  continent  of  Europe. 

Among  the  annoyances,  observes  this  same  traveller, 
which  teaze  a  stranger  in  the  streets  of  Rio,  is  the  everlast 
ing  creaking  of  carts.  The  wheels  are  heavy  blocks  of 
wood,  fixed  to  the  extremities  of  a  thick  axle,  and  they  turn 
both  together  The  extensive  friction  of  the  large  revolving 
surface,  which  is  never  greased,  against  the  shafts  of  the  ma 
chine  carrying  a  heavy  load,  not  only  increases  the  difficulty 
of  draught,  but  causes  a  creaking  sound,  quite  intolerable  to 
unused  ears.  Every  proprietor  of  a  vehicle,  offending  in 
this  way,  is  liable  to  a  fine  of  six  milreis ;  but  they  will  not 
prevent  by  any  precaution,  for 'they  say  the  bullocks  will  not 
draw  kindly  without  the  noise  they  are  accustomed  to  ;  and  as 
this  is  a  general  prejudice,  no  one  will  exact  the  fine,  except 
the  emperor  himself,  who  is  anxious  to  put  an  end  to  the  ab 
surd  nuisance.  He  always  stops  the  creaking  cart,  levies  the 
penalty,  and  puts  the  amount  into  his  pocket.t 

Churches  and  convents  are  almost  the  only  public  buildings 
in  Rio,  that  deserve  notice.  Among  the  former,  those  of 
l3a  Candelaria,  S.  Francisco,  and  Sta-Paula,  are  in  the  best 

*  Notes  on  Rio  de  Janeiro,  &c.,  by  John  Luccock. 
t  Walsh's  Brazil. 


620  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

ST.    SEBASTIAN,  OR    RIO    DE    JANEIRO. 

style  of  architecture  ;  but  that  of  Nossa  Senhora  da  Gloria  is 
the  most  striking  from  its  situation. 

"  The  cathedral,"  says  Mr.  Luccock,  "  in  point  of  rank 
the  first  religious  edifice  in  Rio,  is  situated  on  a  lofty  and 
pleasant  hill,  south  of  the  town.  It  occupies  a  spot  cele 
brated  in  the  history  of  Brazil,  and  is  very  properly  dedi 
cated  to  St.  Sebastian.  The  church,  which  seems  to  have 
been  erected  at  two  different  periods,  is  a  low,  plain,  sub 
stantial  building,  of  an  oblong  form,  with  two  small  turrets, 
but  without  windows.  The  entrance  is  from  the  east,  and 
fronts  the  altar.  Within,  the  walls  are  whitewashed,  unor- 
namented,  and  dirty.  The  altar,  also,  is  as  plain  as  the 
church;  and  the  whole  evinces  that  it  has  profited  little  by 
any  predilection  of  the  great  or  wealthy.  The  orchestra  is 
at  the  east  end,  and  is  awkwardly  crowded  towards  the  ceil 
ing.  Around  are  traces  of  considerable  foundations  much 
overgrown  with  brushwood."  None  of  the  churches  have 
either  any  fine  paintings  or  works  of  sculpture,  but  only  rich 
gilding.  The  religious  establishments  comprise  three  mon 
asteries,  Benedictine,  Franciscan,  and  Carmelite  ;  a  Fran 
ciscan  nunnery;  a  nunnery  ofTheresans;  an  hospice,  of  the 
almoners  of  the  Holy  Land  ;  a  miscricordia,  with  its  hos 
pital  ;  a  foundling  hospital,  founded  in  1738  ;  (which,  within 
sixty  years  from  that  period,  received  nearly  5000  infants;) 
and  a  recolhimcnto  for  female  orphans  born  in  wedlock  and 
of  white  parents,  where  they  remain  till  they  are  portioned 
off  in  marriage  from  the  funds  of  this  munificent  institu 
tion  ;  together  with  some  smaller  monastic  and  charitable  in 
stitutions. 

"  The  royal  palace  skirts  the  beach,  and  is  seen  to  great 
advantage  from  the  principal  landing  place,  which  is  within 
sixty  yards  of  the  doors.  It  is  small,  ill  constructed,  and 
inconvenient.  The  palace  of  the  bishop,  which  stands  on 
a  high  hill  north  of  the  city,  is  superior  to  that  of  the  royal 
family.  The  custom-house  is  a  miserable  building.  The 
inns  are  abominably  bad.  The  new  mint,  the  naval  and 
military  arsenals,  are  called  magnificent  buildings,  but  they 
present  a  very  poor  appearance  to  the  eye  of  a  Europejin." 

Though,  in  proportion  to  the  size  and  wants  of  the  city, 
Rio  has  but  a  scanty  supply  of  water,  there  are  several  pifb- 
lic  fountains,  and  new  ones  are  continually  being  erected. 
The  aqueduct  by  which  these  fountains  are  supplied,  is  a 
noble  work,  and  is  described  by  Dr.  Von  Spix,  as  the  purest 


IN    SOUTH    AMERICA.  621 


ST.  SKBASTIAN,  OR    RIO  DE  JANEIRO. 


piece  of  architecture  of  which  the  city  can  at  present  boast. 
It  was  completed  in  the  year  1740,  and  is  an  imitation  of  the 
one  at  Lisbon,  erected  by  John  V.  "  It  consists,"  Mr.  Luc- 
cock  says,  "  of  two  walls  about  six  feet  high,  arched  over, 
with  sufficient  space  for  workmen  to  enter  it  occasionally, 
and  pass  through  its  whole  length.  At  suitable  intervals 
there  are  openings  for  the  admission  of  light  and  air.  Within 
is  laid  the  canal,  about  eighteen  inches  wide,  twenty-four 
deep,  and  three  miles  long.  It  commences  at  the  bottom  of 
the  lofty  conical  peak  of  the  Corcovado,  where  the  waters 
flowing  from  that  mountain  are  collected  into  a  covered  reser 
voir,  and  thence  conveyed  into  the  canal.  Their  course 
from  the  summit  is  through  deep  and  shady  woods,  and  the 
canal  is  defended  from  the  sunbeams  ;  and  thus,  until  they 
reach  the  city,  little  of  their  freshness  is  lost." 

The  manners  of  the  people  of  Rio,  though  not  polished, 
are  kind  and  cordial.  Mr.  Walsh  thus  describes  the  minis 
try  and  other  distinguished  Brazilians,  whom  he  met  at  the 
house  of  the  Austrian  plenipotentiary.  "  They  were  men 
generally  of  low  stature,  and  had  not  the  least  appearance  or 
pretension  of  a  similar  class  in  Europe.  The  greater  number 
had  been  engaged  in  business,  and  being  men  of  opulence 
when  the  separation  of  the  countries  took  place,  naturally 
stepped  into  those  situations  formerly  occupied  by  strangers 
of  rank  from  the  parent  country.  They  were  men  of  the 
plainest  manners,  laughing,  good  humored,  and  accessible, 
like  common-council-men  at  a  London  feast.  Their  dress, 
however,  was  rich  and  expensive  ;  and  some  of  them  wore 
large  golden  keys,  attached  like  small  swords  to  their  sides, 
intimating  that  they  performed  the  office  of  chamberlain  to 
his  majesty." 

Shortly  after,  Mr.  Walsh  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
the  ladies,  who  composed  the  beau  mondc  of  Rio,  dancing 
waltzes  and  quadrilles.  They,  like  the  men,  were  of  re 
markably  low  stature,  with  sallow  complexions,  and  dark  eyes 
and  hair.  The  latter  were  dressed  remarkably  high,  and 
ornamented  with  various  productions  of  the  country;  among 
these  were  the  shells  of  a  very  beautiful  species  of  beetle,  of 
a  rich,  vivid  green,  more  bright  and  lustrous  than  the  finest 
emerald.  They  danced  well,  and  their  manners  were  very 
affable  and  unaffected. 

"  The  shopkeepers  of  Rio,"  adds  the  same  writer,  "  are 


622  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


ST.    SKBASTIAN,  OR  RIO  DE  JANEIRO. 


rather  repulsive  in  their  address,  and  so  little  disposed  to  take 
trouble,  that  a  customer  is  often  induced  to  leave  the  shop 
by  the  careless  way  in  which  he  is  treated.  They  are  very 
fond  of  sedentary  games  of  chance,  such  as  cards  and 
draughts,  ,and  often  engage  at  them  on  their  counters.  I 
have  sometimes  gone  in  at  those  times  to  purchase  an  article, 
and  the  people  were  so  interested  in  their  game,  that  they 
would  not  leave  it  to  attend  to  me,  and  sell  their  goods. 
They  are,  however,  honest  and  correct  in  their  dealings,  and 
bear  good  moral  characters.  Their  charity  is  boundless,  as 
appears  by  the  sums  expended  on  different  objects  by  the 
brotherhoods,  which  they  form.  They  are,  as  far  as  I  have 
heard,  generally  speaking,  good  fathers  and  husbands,  and 
their  families  are  brought  up  with  strictness  and  propriety. 
It  is  pleasing  to  see  them  walking  out  together,  the  corpu 
lent  parents  going  before,  and  the  children  and  domestics 
following  in  their  orders.  The  women  are  fond  of  black, 
wear  no  caps,  but  a  black  veil  is  generally  thrown  over  their 
bare  heads,  which  hang  down  below  their  bosom  and  back ; 
and  as  it  is  generally  worked  and  spotted,  it  makes  their 
faces  look  at  a  little  distance  as  if  they  were  covered  with 
black  patches.  They  always  wear  silk  stockings  and  shoes, 
and  are  particularly  neat  and  careful  in  the  decorations  of 
their  feet  and  legs,  which  are  generally  small  and  well  shaped. 
The  boys  of  this  rank  are  remarkably  obliging  ;  when  I  saw 
any  thing  among  them  that  seemed  curious,  and  I  expressed 
a  wish  to  look  at  it,  they  always  pressed  it  on  my  acceptance 
with  great  good  nature,  and  seemed  pleased  at  an  opportunity 
of  gratifying  me. 

"  The  Brazilians  in  any  difficulty  or  danger,  make  vows 
to  perform  certain  acts,  in  token  of  their  gratitude  to  Provi 
dence  if  they  are  extricated.  These  vows  they  religiously 
keep,  and  they  are  sometimes  productive  of  great  unhappi- 
ness.  The  patrona,  or  master  of  a  boat,  in  which  I  used  to 
cross  the  bay,  was  a  remarkably  good-looking  man.  He 
was  once  overtaken  by  a  storm  in  the  same  place,  arid  made 
a  solemn  vow,  that  if  he  reached  the  shore,  he  would  marry 
the  first  disengaged  woman  he  met.  He  faithfully  kept  his 
word  ;  connected  himself  with  a  person  he  knew  nothing 
about,  who  proved  to  be  a  vile  character,  and  his  domestic 
comforts  are  forever  embittered. 

"They  are  not  indisposed  to  hospitality,  and  they  con 
stantly  accept  invitations  from  strangers,  but  seldom  ask  them 
in  return.  This  arises  from  the  exceeding  deficiency  of  their 


IN    SOUTH    AMERICA.  623 


ST.  SEBASTIAN,   OR   RIO  DE  JANEIRO. 


domestic  economy.  A  Brazilian  never  keeps  a  store  of  any 
thing  in  his  house;  but  even  those  of  the  highest  rank  send 
to  a  neighboring  vender  for  whatever  they  want,  in  the  small 
est  quantities,  and  only  when  they  want  it.  They  never  pur 
chase  more  at  a  time  than  a  pint  of  wine,  or  a  few  ounces  of 
sugar  or  coffee,  and  this,  they  say  is,  because  if  they  laid  in 
a  store,  it  would  be  impossible  to  prevent  their  slaves  from 
getting  at,  and  consuming  it.  When  the  slave  goes  for  the 
article,  he  takes  up  any  thing  he  can  lay  his  hand  on  to  carry 
it  in.  I  have  often  seen  one  of  them  returning  from  avenda 
with  a  china  tureen  full  of  charcoal  under  his  arm,  and  a 
silver  cup  on  his  head  holding  a  few  loose  candles. 

"  The  avocations  of  barbers  are  also  very  various.  They 
vend  and  prepare  tortoise-shell  to  make  combs.  They  bleed 
and  draw  teeth  as  usual,  and  so  far  are  only  employed  in 
business  connected  with  their  calling,  as  barber-surgeons. 
But  besides  that,  they  exclusively  mend  silk  stockings,  and 
are  remarkable  for  the  neatness  with  which  they  sole  and 
vamp  them.  I  never  passed  a  barber's  shop  that  I  did  not  see 
him,  when  not  otherwise  engaged,  with  a  black  silk  stocking 
drawn  on  one  arm,  and  his  other  employed  in  mending  it. 
They  are,  besides,  the  musicians  of  the  country,  and  are 
hired  also  to  play  at  church  doors  during  festivals.  All  per 
sons  who  compose  the  bands  on  these  occasions  are  barbers. 
Over  the  middle  of  every  shop  is  an  arch,  on  which  are  sus 
pended  the  different  articles  for  sale.  In  a  barber's  shop, 
the  arch  is  always  hung  round  with  musical  instruments. 
This  association  of  trades  was  formerly  the  usage  in  Eng 
land,  when  the  lute  and  cithern  was  always  found  in  a  bar 
ber's  shop,  to  amuse  the  customers  of  better  condition,  who 
came  to  be  trimmed,  as  they  are  now  presented  with  a  news 
paper  ;  or  sometimes  to  alleviate  the  pains  of  a  wound,  which 
the  barber,  in  his  avocation  of  surgeon,  was  probing  and 
dressing.  But  the  remains  of  those  customs  which  have  en 
tirely  gone  out  in  Europe,  still  linger  in  America,  among  the 
descendants  of  those  who  originally  brought  them  over. 

"  It  is  highly  creditable  to  the  citizens  of  Rio,  that  no 
native  beggars  are  ever  seen  in  their  streets.  The  only  per 
sons  of  that  class  I  ever  was  accosted  by,  were  foreign  sailors, 
particularly  English  and  North  Americans,  who  often  at 
tacked  me,  complaining  rudely  that  they  were  out  of  em 
ployment  ;  they  had  all  the  appearance  of  being  worthless, 
intemperate  fellows,  whose  poverty  was  their  own  fault.  All 


624  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


ST.  SEBASTIAN,   OR    RIO  UK  JANEIRO. 


the  natives  in  distress  are  fed  and  clothed  by  the  different 
brotherhoods  of  citizens,  or  by  the  convents;  and  it  is  a 
pleasing  sight  to  see  the  steps  of  religious  edifices  filled,  at 
stated  times,  with  poor  people  disabled  by  age  or  infirmity, 
and  the  good  Samaritans  walking  among  them,  distributing 
food  and  raiment  as  they  require  it. 

"  It  is  also  to  be  commended,  that  no  women  of  bad 
character  are  ever  seen  in  the  streets,  either  by  day  or  night, 
so  as  to  be  known  as  such.  The  decency  and  decorum  of 
this  large  town,  in  this  respect,  is  particularly  striking  to 
those  who  have  been  accustomed  to  the  awful  display  of 
licentiousness,  which  besets  them  in  the  streets  and  public 
places  of  Paris  and  London. 

"The  post-office  is  held  immediately  under  the  hall  of  the 
chamber  of  deputies,  and  is  part  of  the  same  building.  The 
post  leaves  Rio  every  ten  days,  for  the  different  remote 
places  in  the  interior.  Mail  coaches  are  of  course  unknown, 
but  I  have  frequently  met  the  post  on  the  road.  It  is  carried 
by  two  negroes,  with  poles  in  their  hands,  and  a  long  port 
manteau  strapped  across  each  of  their  backs.  They  travel 
on  foot,  at  the  rate  of  a  league  or  four  miles  an  hour.  They 
proceed  without  any  guard,  and  with  a  feeling  of  such  per 
fect  security,  that  I  have  seen  their  portmanteaus  of  letters 
lying  by  the  road  side,  without  any  one  to  watch  them,  while 
they  themselves  had  gone  to  some  distant  raucho  or  escuda 
to  get  refreshment,  yet  I  never  heard  that  the  mail  had  been 
robbed. 

*'  When  it  arrives  at  the  post-office  in  Rio,  the  letters  are 
not  sent  abroad,  except  to  mercantile  houses,  which  pay  a 
certain  sum  for  the  advantage ;  other  letters  are  advertised. 
The  office  is  a  large  hall,  on  the  ground  floor,  and  is  hung 
round  with  boards,  on  which  are  written  the  names  of  places 
from  which  letters  come,  at  the  head  of  a  column  ;  and  un 
derneath,  the  names  of  persons  to  whom  they  are  addressed. 
The  columns  are  numbered  ;  and  when  a  person  expects  a 
letter,  he  applies,  not  to  the  office,  but  to  the  board,  and  if 
he  finds  his  name  there,  he  takes  the  number  opposite  to  it, 
which  he  presents  at  the  office ;  and  he  gets,  not  a  letter  di 
rected  to  his  address,  but  one  correspondent  to  the  number 
he  asks  for,  which  is  often  for  another  person.  When  any 
mistake  arises,  and  lie  gives  his  name,  a  parcel  of  letters  is 
presented  to  him,  and  he  takes  which  he  pleases. 


IN    SOUTH    AMERICA.  625 


ST.  SEBASTIAN,  OR    RIO  DK  JANKIRO. 


"  The  administration  of  justice  in  Brazil  is  perhaps  the 
greatest  grievance  under  which  the  people  labor  ;  and  the 
emperor's  frightful  picture  of  it,  in  recommending  it  to  the 
consideration  of  the  Chambers,  was  not  exaggerated.  The 
judges  have  but  a  small  stipend  of  about  three  hundred 
milreis,  and  they  expend  an  income  of  ten  thousand  ;  the 
difference  is  made  up  by  the  most  notorious  and  undisguised 
bribery,  in  which  there  is  no  delicacy  used,  and  little  con 
cealment  practised.  A  respectable  merchant  informed  me, 
he  had  just  gained  an  important  but  hopeless  suit,  by  bribing 
the  judge  who  tried  it,  with  an  English  carriage,  and  he  was 
not  ashamed  to  drive  about  in  this  public  proof  of  his  cor 
ruption.  There  is  one  tribunal,  however,  to  which  the  peo 
ple  have  access,  which  is  above  the  suspicion  of  such  merce 
nary  influence,  and  that  is  the  throne  of  the  emperor  himself. 
On  every  Saturday  morning  a  public  levee  is  held,  where 
the  humblest  individual  in  society  may  in  person  claim  re 
dress.  The  only  qualification  required  for  admission  is,  that 
the  applicant  shall  come  in  with  a  cocked  hat.  If  he  cannot 
command  one,  he  leaves  such  as  he  has  behind  him  at  the 
door,  and  boldly  approaches  the  throne,  where  he  is  heard 
and  redressed. 

"  Some  very  extraordinary  scenes  take  place  on  these  oc 
casions.  I  shall  mention  one  of  the  many,  which  I  heard. 
A  well-known  character,  of  considerable  rank  and  conse 
quence,  had  become  enamored  of  the  wife  of  a  Juiz  da  Fora, 
who  rejected  his  addresses.  Shortly  after,  her  husband  was 
assassinated,  and  this  act  was  attributed  to  him,  who  supposed 
her  attachment  to  her  husband  had  stood  in  the  way  of  his 
illicit  suit.  Under  this  impression,  the  widow  immediately 
repaired  to  court  to  seek  redress  at  this  public  levee.  As 
soon  as  she  was  admitted,  she  threw  herself  at  the  feet  of 
Dom  John  VI.,  told  her  story,  and  demanded  justice,  which 
the  monarch  immediately  promised  her.  Engaged  at  this 
time  in  very  embarrassing  affairs,  the  king  overlooked  the 
circumstance,  and  forgot  his  promise ;  when  the  widow  ap 
peared  before  him  again  in  deep  mourning.  Struck  with 
this  circumstance,  he  now  confirmed  his  assurance  with  an 
oath,  that  she  should  have  justice;  but  the  friends  of  the 
accused  being  at  that  time  about  the  person  of  the  king,  it 
is  supposed  his  attention  was  again  turned  purposely  from 
the  subject.  A  third  time  the  widow  appeared,  and  taking 
from  under  her  veil  a  shroud,  she  displayed  and  shook  it  be- 

40 


626  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

ST.  SEBASTIAN,  OR    RIO  BE  JANEIRO. 

fore  him,  told  him,  in  the  bitterest  language,  he  must  soon 
come  to  wear  it,  and  bade  him  call  to  mind  what  was  the 
punishment  reserved  in  the  next  world  for  perjured  sove 
reigns,  who  denied  justice  to  their  subjects.  The  well-mean 
ing,  but  timid  monarch,  was  deeply  affected  by  this  denun 
ciation,  and  in  great  horror  of  mind,  assured  her  of  imme 
diate  redress;  but  the  widow  died  in  a  very  short  time  after; 
Dom  John  was  recalled  to  Portugal,  and  the  affair  was  never 
investigated, 

"The  police  are  a  large  body, dressed  like  soldiers,  with 
blue  jackets  and  cross  belts  of  buff  leather,  and  resemble 
exactly  the  gend'armes  of  France.  They  are  not  distin 
guished  either  for  temperance  or  proper  conduct,  and  they 
are  the  only  natives  I  ever  saw  drunk.  If  an  outrage  is  com 
mitted,  they  seize,  not  the  man  who  perpetrated  it,  who  gen 
erally  has  time  to  escape,  but  the  person  they  find  nearest 
the  spot,  who  is  only  accidentally  passing.  A  man  was  ridden 
over  by  a  horse,  just  at  our  door,  and  brought  into  the  hall 
in  a  dangerous  state.  The  police  came  up  and  seized  a 
gentlemanly  person,  who  was  walking  by  at  the  time.  It 
was  in  vain  he  pleaded  he  could  not  ride  over  the  man,  for 
he  had  no  horse.  He  was,  nevertheless,  dragged  off  to  the 
police  house. 

"  Some  curious  circumstances  attend  the  execution  of  a 
criminal  here.  When  he  is  condemned,  he  is  taken  under 
the  protection  of  the  irmandade  of  the  misericordia,  and 
placed  by  them  in  a  capella  for  three  days,  where  he  is  vis 
ited  by  persons,  who  provide  all  comforts  and  conveniences 
for  his  unfortunate  situation;  and  among  other  things,  they 
prepare  for  him  a  shirt.  The  number  eleven  is  a  proverbial 
offence,  when  applied  to  an  individual,  both  at  Lisbon  and 
Rio.  At  the  former,  to  say  of  another,  that  he  is  a  man  de 
onze  lettras,  is  an  insult,  because  the  name  of  a  very  odious 
character  is  spelled  with  eleven  letters.  At  the  latter,  it  is 
regarded  as  equally  offensive  to  say,  he  is  a  man  de  onze 
varas,  'of  eleven  ells,'  as  it  implies  a  man  condemned  to  an 
ignominious  death  ;  the  last  preparation  for  which  is,  putting 
on  his  shroud  or  shirt  of  eleven  yards.  The  irmandade  also 
provide  the  cord  by  which  he  is  executed.  This  last  they 
sometimes  immerse  in  some  strong  acid,  by  which  it  is  cor- 
mded,  and  rendered  so  incapable  of  supporting  a  weight  that 
it  frequently  breaks  before  the  criminal  is  dead.  When  this 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  627 


ST.  SEBASTIAN,  OR   RIO  DE  JANEIRO. 


happens,  they  step  in,  wave  a  standard  over  the  body,  and 
claim  it  as  their  right.  This  is  admitted,  and  they  are  al 
lowed  to  bear  it  away,  and  so  frequently  restore  suspended 
animation. 

"  There  are  many  persons  in  Rio,  who  realize  considerable 
income  by  taming  refractory  slaves.  A  shoemaker  of  this 
class  lately  purchased  two.  He  was  a  man  of  the  most  un 
relenting  severity,  and  treated  them  so  cruelly,  that  they  fell 
on  him  one  evening  in  his  shop,  with  their  knives,  and  killed 
him.  There  was  something  in  the  affair,  that  interested  the 
irmandade  to  so  great  a  degree,  that,  in  a  fit  of  mistaken 
mercy,  they  offered  the  widow  eight  contos,  if  she  would  not 
prosecute  the  slaves.  The  attachment  of  women  in  Brazil 
to  the  memory  of  their  husbands  is  proverbially  strong;  so 
she  rejected  every  offer,  and  surrendered  the  assassins  to  jus 
tice.  In  all  executions,  it  is  the  practice  for  the  executioner 
to  stand  on  the  ladder  above  the  criminals;  and  when  the 
clergyman  comes  to  the  sentence  in  the  creed,  *  I  believe  in 
Jesus  Christ,'  the  ladder  is  turned,  the  hangman  leaps  on 
the  culprit's  neck,  and  they  swing  off  together.  On  this  oc 
casion  the  rope,  which  had  been  previously  prepared,  imme 
diately  broke,  with  the  double  weight,  and  both  fell  to  the 
ground.  The  irmandade  now  stepped  in,  waved  their  flag, 
and  demanded  the  body.  The  juiz,  who  presided,  was  a  de 
termined  man;  he  told  them  to  take  the  body  if  they  pleased, 
as  it  was  their  right,  but  first  he  would  order  the  head  and 
hands  to  be  chopped  off.  As  this  would  totally  defeat  their 
object,  they  declined  removing  the  man,  and  he  was  again 
hanged  up,  taken  down  apparently  dead,  and  lay  beside  the 
gallows,  while  the  sentence  of  the  law  was  executed  on  his 
companion  ;  but  before  this  was  concluded,  animation  re 
turned,  and  he  was  observed  to  kick  and  struggle  on  the 
ground.  He  was  again,  therefore,  tied  up  till  life  was  en 
tirely  extinct;  and  is  perhaps  the  only  person  on  record,  who 
was  thus  executed  three  times  for  the  same  offence. 

"The  Brazilians  were  greatly  shocked  at  this;  and  when 
the  widow,  who  was  reduced  to  poverty  by  her  husband's 
death,  went  to  solicit  alms  to  purchase  prayers  for  the  repose 
of  his  soul,  she  was  very  coldly  received  by  every  one. 
They  forgot  her  disinterestedness,  in  refusing  a  large  sum 
to  compromise  the  murder  of  her  husband,  they  only  remem 
bered  her  unchristian  feeling  of  revenge,  they  said,  on  his 
murderers." 


628  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


ST.   SKBASTIAN,   OR    RIO  DE  JANEIRO. 


The  commerce  of  Rio,  has  increased  with  unexampled 
rapidity.  When  first  opened  to  the  enterprise  of  foreigners, 
many  articles  were  exported,  without  any  regard  to  their 
adaptation  to  the  climate  or  the  wants  of  the  people.  Mr. 
Walsh  thus  notices  some  of  the  ludicrous  mistakes  which 
were  made  by  commercial  men.  "  A  large  supply  of  warm 
blankets,  warming-pans  to  heat  them,  and,  to  complete  the 
climax  of  absurdity,  skates,  to  enable  the  Brazilians  to  enjoy 
wholesome  exercise  on  the  ice,  in  a  region  where  a  particle 
of  frost  or  a  flake  of  snow  were  never  seen,  were  shipped  to 
Rio.  However  ridiculous  and  wasteful  this  may  seem,  the 
articles  were  not  lost.  The  people  did  not  suffocate  them 
selves  with  woollen  coverlets,  where  they  sometimes  found 
a  cotton  sheet  too  heavy  and  warm  ;  they  did  not  lay  the 
blankets,  therefore,  on  their  own  beds,  but  in  the  beds  of  their 
auriferous  rivers,  and  lavras,  or  gold  washings.  Here  the 
long  elastic  wool  entangled  and  intercepted  the  grains  of  gold 
that  came  down,  till  they  became  saturated,  and  so  literally 
converted  the  blanket  into  a  Golden  Fleece.  They  had 
formerly  used  hides  with  the  hair  on,  for  the  same  purpose, 
and  when  the  supply  of  blankets  was  exhausted,  they  return 
ed  to  hides  again.  In  the  same  way  they  applied  the  warm 
ing-pans  to  the  uses  of  their  engenhos,  or  sugar-house  :  they 
knocked  off  the  lids,  and  the  bottoms  made  excellent  skim 
mers,  to  collect  the  scum  on  the  surface  of  the  boiling  sugar. 
Even  the  apparently  hopeless  and  inconvertible  skate  was 
turned  to  a  useful  purpose.  Then,  as  well  as  now,  there  was 
nothing  in  the  country  so  scarce  as  wrought  iron,  for  shoe 
ing  mules  and  horses,  and  though  perradors,or  smiths,  are  to 
be  met  at  every  sancho,  perraduras,  or  shoes,  are  seldom  to 
be  had.  When  the  people,  therefore,  found  they  could  not 
use  those  contrivances  on  their  own,  they  applied  them  to 
their  horses'  feet ;  and  many  an  animal  has  actually  travelled 
on  English  skates,  from  Rio  to  Villa  Rica.  Such  of  them 
as  were  of  well-tempered  steel  were  hammered  into  facas,  or 
knives;  and  a  gentleman  told  me,  he  found  the  iron  of  a 
skate  in  its  original  shape,  forming  the  latch  of  a  door  in  a 
village  in  the  interior. 

"Next  to  the  manufactured  goods,  flour  is  the  great  arti 
cle  of  importation  to  an  infant  State,  as  incapable  hitherto  of 
growing  the  one  as  of  making  the  other.  From  eighty  to 
ninety  thousand  barrels  of  Hour  are  annually  consumed  at 
Rio  and  its  dependencies,  which  are  almost  exclusively  sup- 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  629 

ST.  SEBASTIAN,  OR   RIO  DE  JANEIRO. 

plied  from  the  United  States.  Dried  fish  also  is  consumed 
in  great  quantities,  as  the  great  article  of  food  in  Lent,  and 
on  fast  days,  and  nearly  the  whole  of  it  is  sent  by  the  Eng 
lish  from  the  banks  of  Newfoundland.  Beeswax  from  the 
coast  of  Africa,  for  different  religious  purposes,  is  in  immense 
demand,  but  it  is  generally  brought  in  Brazilian  ships.  Soap 
is  also  much  prized,  that  of  the  country  being  of  a  very  vile 
quality,  and  generally  like  soft  yellow  clay.  These,  with 
Russian  canvass  and  cordage,  Swedish  iron,  Catalonia  wine, 
the  great  consumption  of  the  people,  and  India  goods,  form 
the  principal  imports." 

The  great  exports  of  the  country  are  coffee,  sugar,  hides, 
horns,  tobacco,  cotton,  and  ipecacuanha. 

Coffee  is  gathered  twice  in  the  year,  in  February  and  Au 
gust,  and  comes  to  market  in  greatest  abundance  and  of  the 
best  quality  from  July  to  December.  It  is  purchased  from 
the  planters  by  a  class  of  intermediate  traders,  who  pack  it 
in  bags,  containing  five  arrobas,  or  160  Ibs.,  and  is  thus  sold 
to  the  merchant :  full  confidence  is  placed  in  the  weight,  as 
no  instance  has  occurred  when  it  was  found  defective,  and 
the  custom-house  receives  the  duty  without  re-weighing. 
This  is  certainly  creditable  to  the  honesty  of  the  Brazilians. 
In  1828,  there  were  58,871,360  /6s.  exported. 

Two  qualities  of  sugars  are  known;  one  from  Campos,  in 
the  north,  the  other  from  Santos,  in  the  south.  They  are 
brought  in  coasting  vessels,  in  boxes  weighing  about  2,000  /6s. 
and  deposited  in  trapixes,  or  public  stores  ;  a  large  quantity 
is  also  made  in  the  district  of  Rio.  In  1828,  there  were 
19,126  cases,  465  boxes,  and  13,867  barrels  exported. 

Hides  and  horns  come  from  Rio  Grande  and  the  flat 
llanos  on  the  shores  of  the  Rio  de  la  Plata.  On  the  vast  and 
fertile  Campos  of  Brazil,  there  are  none,either  wild  or  tame. 
In  1828,  208,277  hides,  and  a  proportionable  quantity  of 
horns  were  exported. 

It  is  at  present  impossible  to  obtain  an  accurate  estimate 
of  the  people  of  Rio.  Before  the  arrival  of  the  king,  it  is 
thought  by  some  not  to  have  exceeded  50,000  souls.  Mr. 
Walsh  estimates  the  number  at  150,000,  of  whom  two-thirds 
at  least  are  blacks.  In  this  estimate  Mr.  Henderson  in  his 
recent  work  on  Brazil  concurs.  Later  writers  put  it  at 
200,000. 


630  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


BAHIA. 


BAHIA. 

The  city  of  St.  Salvador,  better  known  by  the  name  of 
Tiahia,  is,  with  the  exception  of  Rio,  the  largest  and  most 
flourishing  city  in  Brazil.  It  stands  on  a  bay  of  the  same 
name,  which  contains  above  a  hundred  islands.  Many  of 
these  are  cultivated  and  inhabited.  Perhaps  the  whole  world 
does  not  contain  a  livelier  or  more  splendid  scene  than  this 
beautiful  bay,  spotted  with  islands,  swarming  with  vessels  of 
all  sizes,  from  the  smallest  canoe  to  the  largest  merchantman, 
and  echoing  to  the  sounds  of  music  and  festivity.  It  is  a 
place  of  great  trade.  In  1816,  five  hundred  nineteen  vessels 
entered  the  bay,  and  four  hundred  eighty-one  left  it.  Of  the 
articles  of  export,  sugar  is  the  first  in  importance,  tobacco 
second,  and  cotton  third.  Other  articles  are  rum,  rice, 
coffee,  whale  oil,  hides,  tallow,  and  wood.  It  is  said  that 
full  800  launches  and  smacks  of  different  sizes  arrive  daily, 
bringing  vegetables,  upon  which  the  people  chiefly  subsist. 
The  coffee  is  not  esteemed  so  fine  as  that  of  Rio.  The 
bananas  are  the  finest  in  America. 

Including  its  suburbs, Bahia  extends  four  miles  from  north 
to  south,  and  its  population  is  estimated  at  above  100,000, 
more  than  two-thirds  of  whom  are  mulattoes  or  negroes,  the 
proportion  of  slaves,  (to  use  Mr.  Southey's  expression,) being 
fearfully  great. 

According  to  Mr.  Lindley,  Bahia  stands  on  the  right  side 
of  the  bay,  where  the  land,  at  a  small  distance  from  the  shore, 
rises  steeply,  to  a  high  ridgy  hill,  on  the  summit  of  which 
the  city  is  erected,  with  the  exception  of  a  single  street  that 
ranges  parallel  to  the  beach  :  from  the  inequality  of  the 
ground  and  the  plantations  interspersed,  it  occupies  a  con 
siderable  space.  The  buildings  are  chiefly  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  ill  constructed,  and,  from  the  slightness  of  the  ma 
terials,  rapidly  decaying,  which  diminishes  the  effect  of  many 
of  them  that  once  were  sumptuous.  As  in  all  Catholic  cities, 
the  churches  are  the  most  distinguished  edifices,  and  those 
on  which  the  greatest  attention  and  expense  were  originally 
lavished  ;  the  cathedral  is  large,  but  falling  into  ruins  ; 
while  the  college  and  archiepiscopal  palace  (or  rather  house) 
adjoining,  are  kept  in  thorough  repair  :  they  were  all,  at  the 
period  of  their  erection,  spacious  buildings,  and  have  a  proud 


632  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


station  on  the  summit  of  the  hill,  commanding  the  bay  and 
surrounding  country.  The  grand  church  of  the  ex-jesuits 
is  by  far  the  most  elegant  structure  of  the  city.  It  is  com 
posed  entirely  of  European  marble,  imported  for  the  pur 
pose,  at  an  immense  cost,  while  the  internal  ornaments  are 
superfluously  rich  :  the  rails  of  the  altar  are  of  cast  brass, 
the  whole  of  the  wood  work  is  inlaid  with  tortoise-shell,  and 
the  grand  chancel,  and  several  other  communion  recesses, 
(diverging  from  the  side  aisles,)  with  their  respective  altars, 
are  loaded  with  gildings,  paintings,  images,  and  a  profusion 
of  other  decorations. 

The  streets  are  confined  and  narrow,  wretchedly  paved, 
never  cleaned,  and  therefore  disgustingly  dirty.  The  backs 
of  several  of  them  are  receptacles  of  filth,  which,  exposed  to 
so  extreme  a  heat,  would  affect  severely  the  health  of  the  in 
habitants,  but  for  the  salubrious  air  that  prevails,  in  conse 
quence  of  the  elevated  situation  of  the  place.* 

Things  appear  not  to  have  been  much  improved  in  1821, 
nearly  twenty  years  later,  when  Bahia  was  visited  by  an  in 
telligent  female  traveller.  Mrs.  Graham  landed  at  the  arsenal 
or  dock-yard.  "  The  street  into  which  we  proceeded  through 
the  arsenal  gate,"  she  says,  "  forms,  at  this  place,  the  breadth 
of  the  whole  lower  town  of  Bahia,  and  is,  without  exception, 
the  filthiest  place  I  ever  was  in.  It  is  extremely  narrow; 
yet,  all  the  working  artificers  bring  their  benches  and  tools 
into  the  streets.  In  the  interstices  between  them,  along  the 
walls,  are  fruit-sellers,  venders  of  sausages,  black  puddings, 
fried  fish,  oil  and  sugar  cakes,  negroes  platting  hats  or  mats, 
coder  as,  (a  kind  of  sedan-chair,)  with  their  beavers,  dogs, 
pigs,  and  poultry,  without  partition  or  distinction  ;  and  as 
the  gutter  runs  in  the  middle  of  the  street,  every  thing  is 
thrown  there  from  the  different  stalls,  as  well  as  from  the 
windows,  and  there  the  animals  live  and  feed  !  In  this  street" 
(called  the  Prai/a)  "  are  the  warehouses  and  country  houses 
of  the  merchants,  both  native  and  foreign.  The  buildings 
are  high,  but  neither  so  airy  nor  so  handsome  as  those  of 
Pernambuco."t 

The  society  of  Bahia  has  been  deemed  superior  to  that  of 
Rio.  "  In  their  intercourse  with  foreigners,"  says  Mr. 
Lindley,  "  far  less  hauteur  is  seen  in  Bahia  than  in  any  other 

*  Lindley 's  Authentic  Narrative.  *  Graham's  Journal. 


IN    SOUTH    AMERICA.  633 


part  of  the  coast."  Nothing,  however,  can  be  much  more 
degraded  than  the  state  both  of  manners  and  morals.  With 
regard  to  the  former,  we  shall  here  avail  ourselves  of  Mrs. 
Graham's  lively  narrative :  she  is  describing  a  tour  of  morn 
ing  visits.  "  In  the  first  place,  the  houses  for  the  most  part, 
are  disgustingly  dirty.  The  lower  story  usually  consists  of 
cells  for  slaves,  stabling,  &/C.  ;  the  staircases  are  narrow  and 
dark,  and  at  more  than  one  house,  we  waited  in  a  passage, 
while  the  servants  ran  to  open  the  doors  and  windows  of  the 
sitting-rooms,  and  to  call  their  mistresses,  who  were  enjoy 
ing  their  undress  in  their  own  apartments.  When  they  ap 
peared,  I  could  scarce  believe  that  one  half  were  gentle 
women.  As  they  wear  neither  stay  nor  bodice,  the  figure 
becomes  almost  indecently  slovenly  after  very  early  youth; 
and  this  is  the  more  disgusting,  as  they  are  very  thinly  clad, 
wear  no  neck  handkerchiefs,  and  scarcely  any  sleeves.  Then, 
in  this  hot  climate,  it  is  unpleasant  to  see  dark  cottons  and 
stuffs,  without  any  white  linen,  near  the  skin;  hair  black,  ill 
combed,  and  dishevelled,  or  knotted  unbecomingly,  or,  still 
worse,  en  papillote,  and  the  whole  person  bearing  an  un 
washed  appearance.  When,  at  any  of  the  houses,  the  bustle 
of  opening  the  cobwebbed  windows  and  assembling  the 
family  was  over,  in  two  or  three  instances,  the  servants  had 
to  remove  the  dishes  of  sugar  mandior,  and  other  provisions, 
which  had  been  left  in  the  best  rooms  to  dry.  There  is 
usually  a  sofa  at  each  end  of  the  room,  and  to  the  right  and 
left,  a  long  file  of  chairs,  which  look  as  if  they  never  could 
be  moved  out  of  their  place.  Between  the  two  sets  of  seats 
is  a  space  which,  I  am  told,  is  often  used  for  dancing;  and, 
in  every  house,  I  saw  either  a  guitar  or  piano,  and  generally 
both.  Prints  and  pictures,  the  latter  the  worst  daubs  I  ever 
saw,  decorate  the  halls  pretty  generally  ;  and  there  are  be 
sides,  crucifixes  and  other  things  of  the  kind.  Some  houses, 
however,  are  more  neatly  arranged.  One,  I  think,  belonging 
to  a  captain  of  the  navy,  was  papered,  the  floors  laid  with 
mat,  and  the  tables  ornamented  with  pretty  porcelain,  Indian 
and  French  ;  the  lady,  too,  was  neatly  dressed  in  a  French 
wrapper.  Another  house,  belonging  to  one  of  the  judges, 
was  also  clean,  and  of  a  more  stately  appearance  than  the 
rest,  though  the  inhabitant  was  neither  richer  nor  of  higher 
rank.  Glass  chandeliers  were  suspended  from  the  roof,  and 
handsome  mirrors  were  intermixed  with  the  prints  and  pic 
tures.  A  good  deal  of  handsome  china  was  displayed  round 


634  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


the  room  ;  but  the  jars,  as  well  as  the  chairs  and  tables,  seemed 
to  form  an  inseparable  part  of  the  walls." 

The  gentlemen  dress  as  in  Lisbon,  with  an  excess  of  em 
broidery,  and  spangles  on  their  waistcoats,  and  lace  on  their 
linen,  and  their  shoe  and  knee  buckles  often  of  solid  gold. 
But,  at  home,  these  gala  clothes  are  laid  aside  for  a  gown  or 
thin  jacket,  or  merely  a  shirt  and  drawers.  The  usual  dress 
of  the  ladies  is  a  single  petticoat  over  a  chemise,  the  latter 
generally  of  the  thinnest  muslin,  much  worked  and  orna 
mented,  and  so  full  at  the  bosom  as  to  drop  over  the  shoulders 
on  the  slightest  movement.  "This  violation  of  feminine 
delicacy,"  says  Mr.  Lindley,  "  appears  the  more  disgusting, 
as  the  complexion  of  the  Brazilians  is  in  general  very  indif 
ferent,  approaching  to  an  obscure  tawny  color.  Stockings 
are  scarcely  ever  used  ;  and  during  the  rainy  season,  which 
is  to  them  cold,  they  shuffle  about  in  a  pair  of  slippers,  dressed 
in  a  thick  blue  and  white  cotton  wrapper,  or  a  woollen  great 
coat  faced  with  shag.  When  attending  mass,  a  deep  black 
silk  mantle,  worn  over  the  head,  conceals  the  transparent 
costume  beneath.  On  some  public  occasions  and  visits  of 
ceremony,  a  few  ladies  of  rank  adopt  the  European  dress." 
This  has  probably  come  more  extensively  into  vogue.  In  a 
large  party  of  well-dressed  women  whom  Mrs.  Graham  met, 
she  had  great  difficulty,  she  says,  in  recggnizing  the  slatterns 
of  the  morning.  "The  Smhoras  were  all  dressed  after  the 
French  fashion:  corset, fichu,  garniture,  all  was  proper,  rind 
even  elegant,  and  there  was  a  great  display  of  jewels."  Edu 
cation  is  at  the  lowest  ebb.  The  men,  Mrs.  Graham  says, 
divide  nearly  their  whole  time  between  the  counting-house 
and  the  gaming-table.  "  Of  those  who  read  on  political  sub 
jects,  most  are  disciples  of  Voltaire  ;  and  they  outgo  his 
doctrines  on  politics,  and  equal  his  indecency  as  to  religion." 
There  is  a  considerable  number  of  English  residents  at  Bahia, 
who  have  a  chapel  and  a  chaplain,  which,  together  with  a 
hospital  for  English  sailors,  are  supported  by  a  contribution 
fund.  "  They  are  hospitable  and  sociable  among  each  other," 
says  Mrs.  Graham,  "  and  often  dine  together  ;  the  ladies  love 
music  and  dancing,  and  some  of  the  men  gamble  as  much  as 
the  Portuguese.  Upon  the  whole,  society  is  at  a  low,  very 
low  scale  here  among  the  English." 

The  chief  amusements  of  the   citizens,  says  Mr.  Lindley, 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  635 


are  the  feasts  of  the  different  saints,  professions  of  nuns, 
sumptuous  funerals,  the  holy  or  passion  week,  &/c.,  which 
are  all  celebrated  in  rotation,  with  grand  ceremonies,  a  full 
concert,  and  frequent  processions.  "  On  such  occasions,  the 
streets  are  swept  and  strewed  with  white  sand  and  flowers ; 
the  windows  are  illuminated;  and  the  processions,  lighted 
by  a  great  number  of  tapers  borne  by  the  faithful,  move  on 
ward,  to  the  sound  of  bells  and  fireworks,  towards  the  church 
prepared  for  their  reception.  The  burials  are  conducted 
likewise  at  night,  by  the  light  of  torches  and  flambeaus. 
Music  forms  an  important  part  of  these  religious  festivities. 
The  Portuguese  are  a  musical  people,  and  the  negroes  also 
are  passionately  fond  of  music.  The  'city  wayts '  are  all 
negroes,  and  they  have  always  a  full  band  ready  for  service, 
which  finds  constant  employ  from  public  or  private  devotion.'*' 
"  Every  Portuguese,"  remarks  Mr.  Southey,  "  has  his  saint, 
every  saint  has  his  day,  and  on  every  saint's  day,  some  of 
his  votaries  summon  the  musicians  to  celebrate  the  festival, 
and  accompany  them  to  the  church  or  chapel  of  the  idol, 
frequently  by  water."  "  It  is  also  a  custom,"  Mr.  Lindley 
says,  "  with  the  European  merchant  ships  to  have  music  on 
their  arrival,  at  departure,  and  on  the  first  day  of  taking  in 
cargo,  which  repeatedly  gives  us  a  little  concert,  and  sounds 
charmingly  from  the  water.  These  musicians  are  trained  by 
the  different  barber-surgeons  of  the  city,  who  are  of  the  same 
color,  and  have  been  itinerant  musicians  from  time  imme 
morial.  Numerous  as  these  swarthy  sons  of  harmony  are, 
they  find  constant  employment,  not  only  as  above  mentioned, 
but  also  at  the  entrance  of  the  churches  on  celebrations 
of  festivals,  where  they  sit  playing  lively  pieces,  regardless  of 
the  solemnities  going  on  within. 


COLOMBIA. 


BOGOTA. 

THIS  city,  which,  during  the  reign  of  the  Spaniards  in 
South  America,  was  more  commonly  called  Santa  Fe,  but 
since  the  independence  of  the  country,  Bogota,  is  situated  on 
a  spacious  and  fertile  plain,  on  the  most  easterly  ridge  of  the 
Andes,  in  latitude  4°  10'  north,  and  longitude  73°  50',  at  an 
elevation  of  upwards  of  8000  feet.  It  was  founded  by  Que- 
sada,  in  1538,  who  built  twelve  huts  in  honor  of  the  twelve 
apostles,  on  the  skirts  of  the  two  mountains  called  Mont- 
serrat  and  Guadaloupe.  It  was  created  a  city  in  1548.  It 
was  formerly  the  capital  of  New  Grenada.  From  its  ex 
treme  boundaries  it  extends  about  a  mile  in  length,  and  in 
its  widest  part  about  half  a  mile  in  breadth.  The  streets  are 
generally  narrow,  but  regular  ;  all  of  them  are  paved,  and 
the  principal  ones  have  footpaths.  "  When  seen  from  the 
mountains  at  the  back,  the  city  has  a  very  pretty  effect.  The 
streets  built  at  right  angles,  present  an  appearance  of  great 
regularity,  and  have  a  stream  of  water  constantly  flowing 
down  the  middle ;  there  are  also  several  handsome  public 
fountains.  Great  as  is  the  extent  of  the  city,  the  churches 
and  convents  cover  nearly  one  half  the  ground.  Many  of 
the  convents  are  in  part,  and  others  wholly  deserted,  since 
the  Revolution.  The  ground  that  §ome  of  them  cover  is 
immense."  There  are  nine  monasteries  and  three  nun 
neries. 

In  respect  to  the  public  buildings,  and  indeed  to  the 
houses  generally,  elegance  has  been  obliged  to  be  sacrificed 
to  solidity,  on  account  of  earthquakes,  to  which  the  city  is 
liable.  The  architecture  of  some,  however,  is  handsome. 
The  cathedral  is  a  fine  looking  building  ;  but  its  magnifi 
cence  is  not  so  great  as  the  treasures  it  possesses  are  valua 
ble.  "  One  statue  of  the  Virgin  alone,  out  of  the  many 
which  adorn  the  altars,  is  ornamented  with  1,358  diamonds, 
1,295  emeralds,  59  amethysts,  one  topaz,  one  hyacinth,  372 
636 


638  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


pearls,  and  its  pedestal  is  enriched  with  609  amethysts  ;  the 
artist  was  paid  4,000  piastres  for  his  labors." 

The  palace,  the  ancient  residence  of  the  viceroys,  now  oc 
cupied  by  the  president  of  the  republic,  is  nothing  more  than 
a  house  with  a  flat  roof.  Its  dependencies  are  two  adjoining 
houses  much  lower,  but  ornamented  with  galleries.  The 
palace  of  the  deputies  is  a  large  house,  situated  at  the  corner 
of  a  street,  the  ground  floor  of  which  is  let  out  in  shops  for 
the  selling  of  brandy.  Across  the  street  is  the  palace  of 
the  senate,  which  is  still  more  simple  than  that  of  the  repre 
sentatives.  The  mint  is  a  large  plain  building. 

The  principal  streets  are  the  Calle  Real,  and  the  San 
Juan  de  dios.  The  former  has  a  footway  on  both  sides  of  the 
road,  and  is  well  paved  ;  and,  as  there  arc  no  carts,  or  vehi 
cles  of  any  description,  the  traffic  being  hitherto  carried  on 
exclusively  by  mules,  it  does  not  require  frequent  repair. 
The  ground  floors  of  the  houses  are  occupied  by  shops,  with 
one  story  above,  each  habitation  having  a  large  wooden  bal 
cony,  painted  green.  These  two  streets,  which  lead  to  the 
alamcfla,  are  the  chief  resorts  of  the  loungers  and  fashiona 
bles  of  Bogota.  At  one  extremity  of  the  Calle  Real  is  the 
principal  Plaza,  where  the  daily  market  is  held.  "  This 
spacious  square  is  paved  in  the  usual  excellent  style  through 
out,  and  the  method  of  paving  in  compartments,  by  lines  of 
stones  on  the  edge,  and  the  compartment  filled  with  pavement 
of  round  stones,  though  it  was  not  intended  for  the  purpose, 
becomes  of  some  use  in  the  apportionment  of  space  to  the 
dealers  in  various  commodities;  there  are  neither  tables, 
chairs,  stools,  counters,  or  chests  visible  in  this  square  ;  all 
commodities  are  displayed  on  the  naked  pavement,  or,  where 
the  articles  require  it,  on  coarse  cloths  spread  upon  the 
space  regulated. — Here  are  seen  the  manufactured  products 
of  all  parts  of  the  globe,  Japan  and  China,  India,  Persia, 
France,  England,  Germany,  Italy,  and  Holland  ;  and,  though 
last,  not  least,  the  United  States,  or  their  favorite  America 
del  Norte.  On  different  platforms,  apportioned  out  by 
proper  officers,  or  clerks  of  the  market,  or  deputies  of  the 
alcades,  are  seen  piles  of  every  kind  of  cotton,  woollen, 
silk,  and  linen  manufactures  ;  calicoes  of  India  and  England, 
the  silks  of  Asia,  Italy  and  France  ;  the  coarse  linen  fabrics 
of  Russia,  Saxony,  Silesia,  and  Holland  ;  the  finer  linens  of 
England,  Ireland,  France,  and  Holland  ;  the  broad  coarse 
checks  of  Germany,  and  their  English  successful  imitations. 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  639 


"  In  other  parts  of  the  plaza,  fruit  and  vegetable  produc 
tions  of  every  description,  were  placed  in  piles  on  the  pave 
ment,  or  in  capacious  or  small  baskets.  Another  part  was 
appropriated  to  fowls  of  various  kinds,  &/c. 

"  But  it  is  in  the  Calle  Real,  that  the  richest  and  finest 
commodities  are  exposed  for  sale,  in  spacious  shops,  which 
occupy  the  ground  floor  of  all  the  houses  on  both  sides  of 
that  busy  street.  Here  the  finest  jewelry,  cutlery,  millinery, 
and  clothing  for  both  sexes  are  collected,  and  from  thence 
dispersed  over  all  the  countries  west,  south  and  east,  for 
some  hundred  rhiles,  and  beyond  Quito.  Native  crystals, 
the  topaz  of  various  hues  from  Brazil,  the  emeralds  of  the 
country  in  deeper  or  paler  tints,  wrought  and  rude,  the  dia 
monds,  arid  rubies,  and  amethysts  of  Asia,  glitter  alongside 
the  artificial  gems  of  Paris  ;  and  the  fine  wrought  gold  fila 
gree  of  the  native  workmen,  which  rivals  that  of  the  eastern 
Archipelago."* 

> 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Bogota  are  some  very  agreeable 
walks,  which,  although  shaded  by  willows,  and  ornamented 
by  rose-trees  and  the  beautiful  cardamindum,  are  little  fre 
quented  ;  the  preference  being  given  to  a  few  select  streets, 
the  trottoirs  of  which  offer  a  commodious  promenade,  as 
from  them,  gentlemen  on  horseback  may  be  seen  traversing 
the  town  at  full  gallop.  The  greater  part  of  these  horsemen 
are  bedizened  with  gold,  and  glittering  in  military  uniforms; 
some  with  round  hats  ornamented  with  plumes  of  feathers, 
others  with  cocked  ones,  and  a  still  greater  number  wearing 
shakos  and  helmets.  Although  their  own  appearance  is  up 
on  the  whole  striking,  that  of  their  horses,  which  resemble 
Norman  poneys,  is  so  wretched  as  to  lessen  the  effect  con 
siderably. 

The  general  routine  of  the  day  at  Bogota,  commences 
with  mass,  which  is  attended  by  females  and  old  men.  The 
men,  in  general,  we  are  told,  do  not  give  themselves  much 
trouble  on  this  score,  unless  they  have  some  particular  object 
in  view,  more  attractive  than  devotion.  The  greater  part 
of  the  day,  the  ladies  lounge  on  their  sofas.  At  half-past  five, 
they  attend  the  almcda,  whence  they  return  to  receive  visits 
till  between  nine  and  ten  o'clock,  at  which  hour  they  retire. 
TtrtuliaSj  or  evening  parties,  balls,  masquerades,  and  the 
numerous  religious  processions,  are  their  chief  amusements. 

*  Duane's  Visit  to  Colombia 


640  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


The  capital  is  at  present  lull  of  priests,  monks  and  cler 
gy,  in  consequence  of  a  decree  abolishing  all  monasteries, 
which  did  not  contain  above  a  certain  number,  and  directing 
their  inhabitants  to  reside  in  Bogota.  This  is  considered  as 
a  stroke  of  policy,  having  for  its  object  not  merely  to  apply 
the  revenues  of  the  suppressed  monasteries  to  the  exigencies 
of  the  State,  but  to  bring  the  clerical  body  more  immedi 
ately  under  the  eye  of  Government,  and  counteract  the  more 
easily  their  disposition  to  political  intrigue.  It  is  not  easy, 
M.  Mollien  says,  to  say  what  are  the  political  opinions  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Bogota.  Like  all  those  who  reside  in  capitals, 
they  are  oppositionists,  because  they  see  the  machine  of 
government  too  near  ;  but,  after  having  given  the  revolution 
ary  impulse,  this  capital  will,  for  the  future,  receive  it  from 
the  provinces. 

The  population  of  Bogota  is  said  to  have  amounted,  in 
1800,  to  21,464  inhabitants,  exclusive  of  strangers  and  bra- 
gars,  whose  residence  was  not  known.  The  births  exceeded 
the  deaths  in  the  same  year,  by  247.  The  present  popula 
tion  is  estimated  at  from  30  to  35,000  souls.  Thore  exists 
a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  superior  eligibility  of  the 
site  of  the  two  capitals — Bogota  and  Caraccas.  The  author 
of  Letters  from  Colombia  gives  his  decided  opinion  in  favor 
of  the  former.  The  climate  here  is  more  congenial  to  Eng 
lish  constitutions,  and  is  favorable  to  great  bodily  exertion. 
The  extreme  rarity  of  the  atmosphere,  however,  owing  to 
the  great  elevation  of  the  plain,  is  at  first  very  oppressive  to 
strangers,  occasioning  a  difficulty  of  breathing,  and  an  un 
pleasant  sensation  at  the  chest.  After  a  few  days,  this  sub 
sides  The  seasons  here  are  divided  into  rainy  and  dry, 
forming  two  winters  and  two  summers.  The  dry  season  be 
gins  with  the  solstices;  the  wet,  with  the  equinoxes,  varying 
ten  or  fifteen  days.  March,  April,  May,  September,  Octo 
ber,  November,  are  each  reckoned  winter  months,  during 
which  fall  almost  incessant  rains.  The  mornings,  from  day 
break  to  eight  o'clock,  are  then  piercing  cold,  the  thermom 
eter  frequently  down  to  47°.  though  it  in  general  keeps  be 
tween  5^°  and  (>3°.  In  summer,  during  the  warmest  time, 
it  varies  from  (5H°  to  70°.  June,  .Inly,  and  August  are 
showery.  N.  N.  W.  winds  invariably  bring  storms.  But, 
during  the  dry  season,  the  heavens  are  for  the  most  part 
beautifully  serene  and  unclouded,  and  the  dews  are  so  light, 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  641 


that  the  usual  lounge  of  the  inhabitants  is  by  moonlight. 
Upon  the  whole,  the  climate  may  be  salubrious.  Epidemics 
are  unknown,  and  the  diseases  to  which  the  natives  are  sub 
ject,  are  attributable  to  other  causes  than  the  air.* 

As  the  Cataract  of  Tequendama  excites  the  curiosity  of 
all  visiters  to  Bogota,  our  fellow  tourists  will  of  course  ex 
pect  us  to  show  them  this  celebrated  work  of  nature.  This 
we  shall  do  with  the  assistance  of  a  very  competent  guide, 
whose  services  we  have  already  had  occasion  to  use. 

"  No  painting,"  says  Col.  Duane,  "  can  convey  any  ade 
quate  idea  of  this  extraordinary  work  of  nature  ;  and,  how 
ever  circumstantial  a  verbal  description  may  be,  the  idea  of 
what  is  there  seen  cannot  be  but  imperfectly  expressed.  I 
am  not  at  all  surprised,  that  none  of  the  descriptions  I  had 
read  of  this  cataract,  conveyed  to  my  perceptions  any  thing 
like  what  it  really  is.  It  cannot  be  seen  with  advantage  at 
one  place ;  contiguous  to  the  first  bound  of  the  river,  the 
basin  above,  and  the  roll  of  the  flood  over  the  perpendicular 
steep  upon  the  vast  platform,  are  all  clearly  visible  ;  but  the 
whole  volume  of  the  stream  tumbling  to  the  deep  can  only 
be  partially  and  imperfectly  seen  there.  We  took  another 
station  on  the  north  side  of  the  chasm,  so  that  the  sun's 
beams,  then  about  eleven  o'clock,  crossed  the  line  of  the 
cataract  obliquely ;  from  this  point  we  could  see  about  a 
third  of  the  descending  volume  of  water ;  but  we  could  not 
perceive  the  bottom.  While  we  stood  in  this  position,  this 
sublime  object  was  never  perhaps  seen  to  more  advantage. 
The  water  was  discolored  by  the  yellow  earth  over  which  it 
flowed ;  and  when  the  torrent  dashed  upon  the  forty  feet 
platform  beneath  it,  the  cloud  of  vapor,  as  it  rose,  illumined 
by  the  blaze  of  an  ardent  sun,  gave  an  incessant  glow  of 
brilliant  golden  glory.  Description  by  no  means  conveys  a 
sufficient  idea  of  the  object :  it  seemed  a  halo  with  a  disk  of 
floating  transparent  gold,  of  perhaps  twenty  feet  diameter, 
the  exterior  vapor  exhibiting  prismatic  shades  incessantly 
changing,  renewing  in  new  forms,  and  on  the  outer  verge 
condensing  in  drops,  which  fell  in  showers  like  tears.  The 
mind  is  beguiled,  and  time  passes  unfelt  in  the  intensity  of 
admiration  and  awful  sublimity  of  this  spectacle,  which  on 
every  aspect  presents  new  beauties  and  astonishment.  Re 
turning  to  the  verge  of  the  cataract,  I  was  induced  to  place 

*  For  other  particulars  respecting  Bogota,  see  "  Universal  Traveller.'' 

41 


642  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


myself  on  my  breast  to  look  into  the  chasm,  and  I  succeed 
ed,  with  new  emotions  of  admiration.  Those  who  are  re 
puted  to  have  measured  the  depth,  which  is  by  no  means  dif 
ficult,  have  differed  from  three  to  eight  feet ;  but  the  average 
of  the  computation  gives  164  or  165  feet,  which,  as  far  as 
my  eye  is  competent  to  judge,  I  believe  to  be  near  the  true 
depth.  I  leaned  over  the  perpendicular  wall — it  is  to  all  ap 
pearance  a  wall  of  regularly  wrought  and  horizontally  laid 
and  ranged  gray  grit  stone — and  1  could  see  the  foam  of  the 
torrent  agitate  the  basin  below,  where  the  rocks,  rounded  on 
their  tops  by  the  beating  of  the  waters,  were  seen  as  if 
emerging  from  the  waves  of  foam,  like  the  play  of  otters, 
while  the  stream  of  the  torrent  itself,  brilliant  in  its  own  ac 
tion,  appeared  reduced  to  the  size  of  the  spout  from  a  fire- 
engine. 

"  But,  sublime  as  these  views  truly  are,  with  the  forests 
rising  on  each  side,  from  the  crevice,  into  lofty  sloping  hills, 
perhaps  the  most  extraordinary  peculiarities  are  yet  to  be 
noticed.  I  know  no  mode  by  which  the  idea  of  its  charac 
ter  and  figure  may  be  conceived,  but  that  of  the  reader  form 
ing  to  himself  the  idea  of  a  gap  or  opening  in  the  face  of  a 
mountain  200  feet  high,  and  about  sixty  feet  broad,  at  the 
foot  of  which  a  flood  of  10  or  15  yards  broad  gushes  through 
the  gap,  at  the  height  of  more  than  7,000  feet  above  the 
ocean,  rolling  over  rugged  precipices  till  it  unites  with  the 
river  Tocayma,  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Magdalena. 
This  is  the  aspect  at  the  debouch  in  the  valley  below.  As 
cending  then  to  the  point  from  which  the  Funza  thus  issues, 
and  entering  the  crevice  from  its  west  or  open  end,  and 
groping  along  the  rocky  and  difficult  side  of  this  gap  ;  the 
overhanging  trees  no  longer  cover  the  space ;  but  a  lane,  if 
I  may  so  call  it,  of  three-fourths  of  a  mile  long,  formed  by 
two  walls,  perpendicular  and  parallel,  induces  the  surprised 
spectator  to  ask  if  these  walls  be  not  the  work  of  art  ?  if  man 
with  the  chisel  and  the  hammer,  the  trowel,  the  level,  and  the 
plumb-line,  have  not  wrought  them  ?  Those  walls  stand 
parallel,  and  distant  about  fifty  feet,  and  about  170  feet  per 
pendicular  height,  as  uniformly  fair  on  their  faces  as  the  best 
masonry  of  the  Capitol.  Their  summits  are  only  the  feet 
of  the  forests,  and  the  stream  that  has  tumbled  as  it  were 
from  the  great  storehouse  of  the  heavens,  starts  from  the 
body  of  the  foam,  as  if  frighted  by  its  own  noise. 

"  But  there  is  still  another  extraordinary  feature  of  those 
walls.  In  looking  over  the  lofty  brink  from  above,  I  could 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  643 


CARACCAS. 


discern,  by  a  dark  light-glimmer,  that  the  volume  of  the 
water,  in  its  plunge  over  the  mound,  on  the  table  of  its  first 
bound,  left  a  space  arched,  or  the  quarter  of  an  arc  beneath ; 
at  the  second  bound,  the  arching  was  not  so  forward  ;  either 
the  impulse  was  not  so  great  behind,  or  its  own  gravity 
brought  it,  after  a  curve  of  about  a  sixth  of  the  ci-rcle,  head 
long  down,  keeping  its  volume,  but  casting  out  its  brilliant 
spray,  and,  forming,  by  its  action  on  the  air,  a  never-ceasing 
shower,  the  more  aeriform  vapor  rising  in  clouds,  and  making 
a  play  of  sunbeams,  with  alternately  refracted  and  suppressed 
prismatic  lights  over  the  abyss  below.  The  opportunity  of 
seeing  behind  and  beneath  the  column  of  the  cataract,  ex 
poses  the  structure  of  the  wall  over  which  it  pours  ;  and 
adds,  by  the  regularity  of  its  form,  to  the  wonders  of  this 
place.  It  is,  like  the  sides,  perpendicular,  and  meets  the 
sides,  forming  as  exact  rectangles  as  any  architectural 
structure."* 


CARACCAS. 

We  shall  precede  our  account  of  Caraccas  with  a  brief 
notice  of  its  port,  La  Guayra.  It  is  a  roadstead,  open  to 
the  north  and  east,  and  slightly  sheltered  to  the  west  by 
Cape  Blanco.  But  for  this  cape,  it  would  have  no  preten 
sions  whatever  to  be  called  a  port ;  and  as  it  is,  those  pre 
tensions  are  very  slight.  Vessels  anchor  in  from  six  and 
seven  to  five-and-twenty  and  thirty  fathoms,  according  to 
their  distance  from  shore,  with  a  bottom  generally  of 
white  sand.  The  worm  is  very  destructive  to  the  bottoms 
of  such  vessels  as  are  not  coppered.  There  is  almost  con 
stantly  a  swell,  which  is  sometimes  so  violent  as  to  prevent 
all  intercourse  with  the  shore  for  several  days  together  ;  and 
the  lading  is  at  all  times  taken  in  with  difficulty.  "  It  is  a 
singular  spectacle,"  says  an  English  traveller  with  whom  we 
shall  now  join  company,  "  when  the  air  is  perfectly  calm, 
to  see  upon  the  beach  a  continued  line  of  high  breakers, 
which  succeed  each  other  incessantly,  and  descend  with  a 
roaring  which  is  heard  far  up  the  valleys.  On  account  of 

*  Duane's  Visit  to  Colombia. 


644  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


CARACCAS. 


this  surf,  the  wharf  of  La  Guayra,  which  is  of  wood,  and  up 
wards  of  160  feet  in  length,  stands  in  need  of  continual  re 
pair."* 

The  town  is  irregularly  and  badly  built,  the  lower  street 
in  a  line  parallel  with  the  beach,  and  most  of  the  others 
stretching  up  the  side  of  the  mountain,  at  the  foot  of  which 
the  town  is  built,  and  along  the  high  bank  of  a  ravine  in 
which  flows  a  small  stream.  After  heavy  rains  this  becomes 
for  a  short  time  an  impassable  torrent,  and  has  sometimes 
even  overflowed  its  lofty  banks,  to  the  great  danger  of  the 
lower  part  of  the  town.  The  only  public  building  of  any 
consequence  is  the  custom-house,  which  is  large  and  com 
modious.  The  church  has  nothing  in  it  remarkable  ;  "  nor 
is  there,  indeed,"  adds  Mr.  Semple,  "  in  the  whole  place, 
an  object  worthy  of  detaining  the  traveller  a  single  hour." 
This  gentleman  visited  La  Guayra  in  1810.  Two  years  af 
ter,  the  earthquake  which  visited  Caraccas  reduced  La 
Guayra  to  little  better  than  a  heap  of  ruins;  and  according  to 
the  statement  of  a  recent  traveller,  it  had  not  recovered  so 
lately  as  February,  1823,  from  the  effects  of  the  dire  visita 
tion.  It  is  described  as  presenting  a  most  dismal  aspect, 
and  the  coast  was  covered  with  wrecks.  A  violent  swell 
from  the  north-east  had,  in  the  preceding  month,  cast  on  shore 
every  vessel  that  was  lying  off  the  port,  except  one,  and  no 
fewer  than  fourteen  hulks  were  then  on  the  beach. t  Yet  the 
commerce  carried  on  with  La  Guayra  is  considerable,  and, 
as  this  writer  states,  is  daily  increasing  both  with  Great 
Britain  and  North  America. 

The  road  from  the  port  to  Caraccas,  resembles  the  pas 
sages  over  the  Alps.  "  It  is  infinitely  finer,"  Ilumboldt  says, 
"  than  that  from  Honda  to  Bogota,  or  from  Guayaquil  to 
Quito,  and  is  even  kept  in  better  order  than  the  ancient 
road  from  Vera  Cruz  to  Perote.  With  good  mules,  it  re 
quires  but  three  hours  to  ascend,  and  only  two  to  return. 
With  loaded  mules  or  on  foot,  the  journey  occupies  from 
four  to  five  hours.  The  elevation  of  Caraccas  is  but  a  third 
of  that  of  Mexico,  Quito,  or  Bogota;  and  among  all  the 
capitals  of  Spanish  America  which  enjoy  a  cool  and  de 
licious  climate  in  the  midst  of  the  torrid  zone,  Caraccas 
stands  nearest  to  the  coast."  For  the  first  mile,  the  road 
continues  along  the  shore  to  Macula,  (or  Maiquetia,)  a  neat 

*  Scmple's  Sketch  of  Caraccas. 
t  Letters  from  Colombia. 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  645 


CARACCAS. 


and  pleasant  village,  where  most  of  the  wealthier  inhabitants 
of  La  Guayra  have  houses.  Here,  the  mountains  recede  a 
little  from  the  shore,  leaving  a  small  opening,  better  adapted, 
Mr.  Semple  says,  for  the  situation  of  the  port  than  the  rude 
spot  on  which  it  has  been  built.  The  road  then  turns  to 
the  left,  and  ascends  to  a  considerable  height,  through  a 
deep  clay  or  rich  mould,  which,  in  rainy  weather,  would  be 
impassable,  were  not  the  road  in  many  places  paved.  In  the 
steepest  parts,  it  ascends  by  zigzags,  but  is  sometimes  so  nar 
row  that  two  loaded  mules  cannot  pass  each  other,  and  the 
banks  are  high  and  steep  on  each  side.  "  Woe  betide  the 
traveller,"  says  Mr.  Semple,  of  whose  description  we  shall 
now  avail  ourselves,  "  who  in  these  passes,  meets  a  line  of 
mules  loaded  with  planks,  which  stretch  transversely  almost 
from  side  to  side.  He  must  either  turn  about  his  horse's 
head,  or  pass  them  with  the  utmost  caution,  at  the  risk  of 
having  his  ribs  encountered  by  a  long  succession  of  rough 
boards,  which,  at  every  swerve  of  the  mules,  scoop  out  long 
grooves  in  the  clayey  banks. 

"  We  continued  constantly  to  ascend.  On  the  road  was 
the  stone  body  of  the  statue  of  a  saint,  on  a  miserable  low 
sledge,  which  had  been  with  great  difficulty  brought  thus 
far,  when  the  project  seemed  to  have  been  abandoned  in 
despair,  as  it  continued  here  for  several  months.  The 
head,  we  were  informed,  had  already  reached  Caraccas, 
where  it  was  impatiently  waiting  the  arrival  of  the  body  to 
be  joined  to  it,  and  reared  on  high  as  an  object  of  venera 
tion  to  surrounding  multitudes.  The  stoppage  of  this 
statue  marked  the  increasing  difficulties  of  the  ascent.  From 
clay,  the  road  changed  in  many  parts  to  rugged  rock,  which 
appears  not  merely  to  have  been  thus  purposely  left,  but  to 
have  been  formed  in  its  present  state.  At  the  height  of 
about  a  thousand  feet,  we  begin  to  breathe  already  a  lighter 
and  cooler  air  ;  and,  turning  back,  enjoy  the  view  of  Ma- 
cuta  and  the  coast  beneath  our  feet.  We  see  the  white 
breakers  along  the  shore  and  hear  their,  noise,  which  now 
sounds  like  a  hollow  murmur  among  the  woods,  which  be 
gin  to  crown  the  steeps.  Opposite  to  us  is  a  high  and  steep 
hill,  covered  with  vegetation,  and  all  the  deep  hollow  be 
tween  is  dark  with  trees.  Here  and  there  spots  are  cleared 
away,  plantations  are  formed,  and  the  experienced  eye  can 
distinguish  the  various  hues  of  the  fields  of  coffee,  sugar,  or 
maize.  We  pass  also  from  time  tQ  time,  two  or  three  mis 
erable  huts,  where  the  muleteers  are  accustomed  to  stop 


640 


TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


CARACCAS. 


and  refresli  themselves.  In  this  manner  we  continue  to 
ascend,  the  mountains  still  rising  steep  before  us,  till  we  ar 
rive  at  a  drawbridge  over  a  deep  cut  made  across  the  nar 
row  ridge  upon  which  we  have  been  advancing.  On  each 
side  are  deep  valleys,  clothed  with  tall  trees  and  thick  un 
derwood,  through  which  is  no  path.  This  point  is  de 
fended  by  two  or  three  guns  and  a  few  soldiers,  and  forms 
the  first  military  obstacle  to  the  march  of  an  enemy.  In  its 
present  state,  it  is  by  no  means  formidable,  but  a  very  little 
care  might  render  it  so.  Having  passed  this,  the  steepness 
increases,  so  that  the  mules,  and  even  the  foot  traveller, 
can  proceed  only  by  crossing  obliquely  from  side  to  side; 
and  even  that  is  attended  with  difficulty  after  rain  or  heavy 
dews,  on  account  of  the  smooth  round  stones  with  which 
the  road  is  paved.  But  the  great  and  enlivening  change  ex 
perienced  in  the  state  of  the  atmosphere,  removes  all  diffi 
culties.  Never,  within  the  tropics,  had  I  before  breathed 
so  pure  and  so  cool  an  air.  Instead  of  the  stifling  heat  of 
the  coast,  where  the  slightest  exertion  was  attended  with 
profuse  perspiration,  I  walked  fast  for  joy,  and  thought  my 
self  in  England.  It  was  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when 
I  left  La  Guayra,  and  it  was  now  become  dark,  when  I 
reached  La  Vent  a,  (the  inn,)  a  poor  house,  but  well  known 
upon  the  road  as  being  about  half  way  between  Caraccas 
and  the  Port.  It  is  situated  at  the  height  of  about  3,600 
English  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  at  which  elevation 
the  heat  is  never  oppressive.  Here,  having  supped  and 
drunk  large  draughts  of  delicious  cold  water,  I  repaired  to 
sleep,  unmolested  by  heat  or  mosquitoes.  Being  still  warm 
with  my  walk  and  my  supper,  I  cared  little  that  the  frame 
on  which  1  lay  down  was  unprovided  with  a  single  article  of 
covering ;  but,  about  midnight  I  awoke,  shivering  with 
cold,  and  astonished  at  a  sensation  so  unexpected.  At  three 
o'clock,  it  being  a  fine  moonlight  morning,  we  resumed  our 
journey,  having  still  a  considerable  distance  to  ascend, 
although  the  worst  of  the  road  was  now  past.  In  an  hour, 
we  had  passed  the  highest  point  of  the  road,  and  proceeded 
along  an  uneven  ridge  of  two  or  three  miles  before  begin 
ning  to  descend  towards  the  valley  of  Caraccas.  On  the 
summit  of  the  highest  hill  above  the  road  is  a  fort,  which 
completes  the  military  defences  on  the  side  of  La  Guayra. 
This  fort  is  visible  only  from  certain  points  somewhat  dis 
tant,  as  we  wind  close  round  the  base  of  the  hill  on  which 
it  stands  without  seeing  any  vestiges  of  it.  When  we  had 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  647 


CARACCAS. 


passed  the  ridge,  and  were  descending  towards  Caraccas, 
the  day  began  to  dawn.  Never  had  I  seen  a  more  inter 
esting  prospect.  A  valley  upwards  of  twenty  miles  in 
length,  enclosed  by  lofty  mountains,  unfolded  itself  by  de 
grees  to  my  eyes.  A  small  river,  which  runs  through  the 
whole  length  of  it,  was  marked  by  a  line  of  mist  along  the 
bottom  of  the  valley  ;  while  the  large  white  clouds,  which 
here  and  there  lingered  on  the  sides  of  the  hills,  began  to 
be  tinged  with  the  first  beams  of  light.  Beneath  my  feet 
was  the  town  of  Caraccas,  although  only  its  church  towers 
were  visible,  rising  above  the  light  mist  in  which  it  lay  buried. 
Presently  the  bells,  began  to  chime,  and  I  heard  all  their 
changes  distinctly,  although,  following  the  windings  of  the 
road,  I  had  still  four  miles  to  descend,  whilst,  in  a  straight 
line,  the  distance  did  not  appear  more  than  one.  At  the 
foot  of  the  hill  is  a  gate,  where  a  guard  and  officers  are 
stationed,  to  examine  the  permits  for  merchandise,  and 
sometimes  the  passports  of  strangers.  Within  this  is  an 
open  space,  before  reaching  the  town,  which  we  entered 
about  six  o'clock.  After  passing  the  first  row  of  houses,  I 
was  struck  with  the  neatness  and  regularity  of  most  of  the 
streets,  which  were  well  paved,  and  far  superior  to  any  thing 
I  had  yet  seen  in  the  West  Indies.  In  the  principal  posada, 
(inn,)  kept  by  a  Genoese,  1  found  every  accommodation  that 
could  be  reasonably  expected.  And,  indeed,  for  some  days, 
the  constant  sensation  of  refreshing  coolness  in  the  mornings 
and  evenings,  as  well  as  throughout  the  night,  was  of  itself  a 
luxury  which  seemed  to  have  all  the  charms  of  novelty,  and 
left  no  room  for  petty  complaints. 

Caraccas,  or  as  it  is  called  at  length,  Santiago  de  Leon 
de  Caraccas,  is  situated  in  latitude  10°  36'  north ;  longi 
tude  67°  4'  west ;  at  an  elevation  of  nearly  2,500  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  at  the  entrance  of  the  plain  of 
Chacao,  which  extends  above  twenty  miles  east  and  west, 
and  varies  from  six  to  seven  in  breadth.  It  is  watered  by 
the  river  Guayra.  The  ground  on  which  the  town  is  built 
slopes  regularly  down  to  the  Guayra,  which  bounds  it  on 
the  south  ;  the  custom-house  being  400  and  the  Plaza 
Mayor  nearly  200  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  river.  The  de 
clivity  is  not  so  rapid  as  to  prevent  carriages  from  going 
about  the  town,  but  the  inhabitants  make  little  use  of  them. 

The  city  is  built  in  the  Spanish  fashion ;  the  streets, 
which  are  in  general  a  hundred  yards  wide,  crossing  at  right 


648  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


CARACCAS. 


angles,  divide  the  whole  town  into  square  portions  called 
quadras,  which  here  and  there  are  left  to  form  open  squares. 
The  Plaza  Mayor  has  the  cathedral  on  the  east  side,  the 
college  on  the  south,  and  the  prison  on  the  west ;  but  it  is 
disfigured  by  ranges  of  low  shops,  which  form  a  sort  of 
inner  square.  Here  is  held  the  fruit,  vegetable,  and  fish 
market,  where  the  banana,  the  pineapple,  and  the  sapa- 
dillo,  are  mingled  with  the  apple,  the  pear,  and  the  potatoe, 
the  product  of  every  zone,  with  the  fish  peculiar  to  the 
tropical  seas.  Caraccas  contains  eight  churches,  three 
convents,  two  nunneries,  three  hospitals,  and  a  theatre  that 
will  contain  from  20  to  25,000  persons.  The  pit,  in  which 
the  seats  for  the  men  are  separate  from  those  allotted  to  the 
female  part  of  the  audience,  is  left  uncovered,  and  there 
may  be  seen  at  once  the  actors  and  the  stars.  Nothing, 
as  may  be  supposed,  can  be  more  contemptible  than  the 
performances.  The  cathedral  is  heavily  built  and  badly 
planned  ;  it  is  250  feet  long  by  75  broad,  and  its  walls  are 
36  feet  high.  Four  ranges  of  columns,  six  in  each  range, 
without  beauty  or  proportion,  support  the  roof;  but,  to 
compensate  for  the  inelegance  of  the  architecture,  the 
brick  steeple  contained  the  only  public  clock  in  the  city. 
The  most  splendid  church,  in  point  of  the  richness  of  its 
ornaments,  was  that  of  Alia  Gracia,  built  at  the  expense 
of  the  people  of  color,  as  that  of  La  Candelaria  was  by 
the  Islcnos  from  the  Canaries.  The  church  of  the  Dom 
inicans  boast  of  a  curious  "historical  picture,"  represent 
ing  the  Virgin  suckling  the  sainted  founder  of  their  order, 
a  grey-beard  monk,  to  whom  a  physician  had  prescribed 
woman's  milk  for  a  violent  pain  in  his  breast.  Besides 
the  two  nunneries  of  Conception  and  Carmel,  there  is  a 
much  more  useful  institution  for  the  education  of  young  fe 
males,  belonging  to  the  congregation  of  Las  Educandas.  The 
college,  the  only  public  institution  for  the  education  of  young 
men,  was  founded  by  the  Archbishop  of  Antonio  Gonzales 
d'Acuna,  so  lately  as  1778,  and  was  erected  into  a  universi 
ty,  by  permission  of  the  Pope,  in  1792.  In  this  university, 
reading  and  writing  are  first  taught.  Three  Latin  professors 
teach  enough  of  that  language  to  enable  their  scholars  to 
read  mass  and  study  Dunn  Scotus.  A  professor  of  medicine 
lectures  on  anatomy,  &,c.,  by  aid  of  a  skeleton  and  some 
preparations  in  wax.  Four  professors  are  occupied  in  teach 
ing  theology,  and  one  the  canon  law.  One  is  charged  with 
the  exposition  of  the  Roman  law,  the  Castilian  laws,  the 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  649 


CARACCAS. 


code  of  the  Indies,  and  "  all  other  laws  ;  "  and  finally,  there 
is  a  professor  of  vocal  church  music.  "  The  routine  of 
education,"  says  Mr.  Semple,  "  is  such  as  may  be  supposed 
to  have  been  in  Spain  two  hundred  years  ago ;  a  few  com 
mon  Latin  authors,  catechisms,  and  the  Lives  of  Saints, 
being  the  chief  studies." 

In  1807,  the  population  amounted  to  47,228  persons,  of 
all  colors  ;  of  whom,  according  to  M.  Dupons,  "  the  whites 
formed  nearly  one-fourth,  the  slaves  a  third,  the  Indians  a 
twentieth,  and  the  freed  persons  the  rest."  M.  Humboldt, 
however,  states  that,  of  45,000  persons,  which  the  best-in 
formed  inhabitants  believed  it  to  contain  in  1800,  18,000 
were  whites,  and  27,000  persons  of  color.  The  census  of 
1778  had  made  the  number  amount  to  nearly  32,000. 
Since  then,  it  had  continued  to  increase;  and  in  1810,  the 
city  contained,  according  to  M.  Lavaysse,  50,000  souls;  the 
population  of  the  whole  province  being  496,772.  Such  was 
about  the  number,  when,  by  the  great  earthquake  of  the 
26th  of  March,  1812,  12,000  inhabitants  were  buried  under 
the  ruins  of  their  houses ;  and  the  political  commotions 
which  succeeded  that  catastrophe  have  reduced  the  number 
of  inhabitants  to  less  than  20,000  souls.  More  than  half 
the  town  is  now  in  ruins.  "  The  houses  of  Caraccas,"  says 
a  recent  traveller,  "  once  so  rich  in  the  costliness  of  their 
furniture  and  decorations,  can  now  barely  boast  of  the  com 
monest  articles  of  convenience  ;  and  it  is  with  the  utmost 
difficulty  that  a  table,  chair,  or  bedstead,  can  at  present  be 
procured.  That  par^  which  is  nearest  the  mountain, 
presents  a  continued  mass  of  ruins.  For  the  full  space  of 
a  mile,  the  streets  are  overgrown  with  weeds,  and  are  entire 
ly  uninhabited." 

"  On  approaching  the  guard-house  of  the  barrier,  to  pay 
the  toll  exacted  from  travellers,  I  was  struck,"  says  another 
writer,  "  with  the  wretchedness  of  its  appearance,  the  filth 
which  surrounded  it,  and  the  squalid  figures  of  the  sol 
diery,  whose  small  stature,  dirty,  ragged  clothing,  half  pol 
ished  muskets,  and  lack  of  shoes  and  stockings,  afforded 
the  most  convincing  proofs  of  the  exhausted  and  miserable 
state  to  which  the  intestine  war  had  reduced  this  fine  coun 
try.  From  this  barrier,  the  road  lies  along  the  ridge  to  the 
entrance  of  the  town,  where  the  first  objects  that  attracted 
my  attention  was  a  church  on  my  left,  which  had  been  shat 
tered  by  the  earthquake.  The  walls  only  of  the  nave  stood 
erect,  although  split  in  some  places,  and  partly  concealed 


650  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

CARACCAS. 

by  the  wild  vegetation,  which,  in  this  country,  seems  ever 
ready  to  take  advantage  of  the  desertion  of  any  spot  to 
recover  it  from  human  usurpation.  The  central  tower  had 
not  entirely  fallen,  but  stood  deeply  rent  from  the  top,  in  a 
leaning  position,  threatening  destruction  to  all  within  its 
reach.  Many  similar  scenes  of  dilapidation  characterized 
this  part  of  the  town,  roofless  and  shattered  walls,  leaning 
with  various  degrees  of  inclination,  being  met  with  at  every 
step.  A  little  further  on,  symptoms  of  renovation  appear, 
in  a  few  houses  which  are  building ;  and  at  length,  on 
reaching  the  southern  part,  few  traces  of  the  calamity  are 
seen,  the  houses  generally  remaining  entire,  with  merely 
occasional  flaws  in  the  walls.  These  are  chiefly  built  of 
sun-dried  clay  or  rnud  (tapia)  beaten  down  between  wood 
en  frames.  The  roofs  are  of  tile,  and  the  walls  white 
washed." 

In  1812,  this  city  by  an  awful  convulsion,  was  over 
whelmed.  As  early  as  December,  1811,  a  shock  had  been 
felt  at  Caraccas  ;  but  the  inhabitants  rested  from  that  time 
in  security  till  the  7th  and  8th  of  February,  1812,  when 
the  earth  was  day  and  night  in  perpetual  oscillation.  A 
great  drought  prevailed  at  this  period,  throughout  the  prov 
ince.  Not  a  drop  of  rain  had  fallen  at  Caraccas,  or  for 
ninety  leagues  round,  during  the  five  months  which  preceded 
the  destruction  of  the  capital.  The  20th  of  March,  the  fatal 
day,  was  remarkably  hot,  the  air  was  calm,  the  sky  uncloud 
ed.  It  was  Holy  Thursday,  and  a  great  part  of  the  popula 
tion  was  assembled  in  the  churches.*  Nothing  seemed  to  pre 
sage  the  calamities  of  the  day.  At  seven  minutes  after  four 
in  the  afternoon,  the  first  shock  was  felt  ;  it  was  sufficiently 
powerful  to  make  the  bells  of  the  churches  toll  ;  it  lasted  five 
or  six  seconds,  during  which  time  the  ground  was  in  a  con 
tinual  undulating  movement,  and  seemed  to  heave  up  like  a 
boiling  liquid.  The  danger  was  thought  to  be  past,  when  a 
tremendous  subterranean  noise  was  heard,  resembling  the  roll 
ing  of  thunder,  but  louder,  and  of  longer  continuance  than 
that  heard  within  the  tropics  in  time  of  storms.  This  noise 
preceded  a  perpendicular  motion  of  three  or  four  seconds, 
followed  by  an  undulatory  movement  somewhat  longer.  The 
shocks  were  in  opposite  directions,  from  north  to  south,  and 
from  east  to  west.  Nothing  could  resist  the  movement  from 
beneath  upward,  and  the  undulations  crossing  each  other. 
The  town  of  Caraccas  was  entirely  overthrown. 

Thousands   of  the    inhabitants,  (between  9  and  10,000,) 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  651 


CARACCAS. 


were  buried  under  the  ruins  of  the  houses  and  churches. 
The  procession  had  not  yet  set  out,  but  the  crowd  was  so 
great  in  the  churches,  that  nearly  3  or  4,000  persons  were 
crushed  by  the  fall  of  their  vaulted  roofs.  The  explosion 
was  stronger  towards  the  north,  in  that  part  of  the  town 
situate  nearest  the  mountain  of  Avila  and  the  Silla.  The 
churches  of  La  Trinidad  and  Alta  Gracia,  which  were  more 
than  150  feet  high,  and  the  naves  of  which  were  supported 
by  pillars  of  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  in  diameter,  left  a  mass  of 
ruins  scarcely  exceeding  five  or  six  feet  in  elevation.  The 
sinking  of  the  ruins  has  been  so  considerable,  that  there 
now  scarcely  remain  any  vestiges  of  pillars  or  columns. 
The  barracks,  called  El  Quartcl  de  San  Carlos,  situate  fur 
ther  north  of  the  church  of  the  Trinity,  on  the  road  from 
the  custom-house  de  la  Pastora,  almost  entirely  disappeared. 
A  regiment  of  troops  of  the  line,  that  was  assembled  under 
arms,  ready  to  join  the  procession,  was,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  men,  buried  under  the  ruins  of  this  great  edifice. 
Nine-tenths  of  the  fine  town  of  Caraccas  were  entirely  de 
stroyed.  The  walls  of  the  houses  that  were  not  thrown  down 
as  those  of  the  street  San  Juan,  near  the  Capuchin  Hos 
pital,  were  cracked  in  such  a  manner,  that  it  was  impossible 
to  run  the  risk  of  inhabiting  them.  The  effects  of  the 
earthquake  were  somewhat  less  violent  in  the  western  and 
southern  parts  of  the  city,  between  the  principal  square  and 
the  ravine  of  Caraguata.  There  the  cathedral,  supported 
by  enormous  buttresses,  remains  standing.  Estimating  at 
9  or  10,000  the  number  of  the  dead  in  the  city  of  Caraccas, 
we  do  not  include  those  unhappy  persons  who,  dangerously 
wounded,  perished  several  months  after  for  want  of  food, 
and  proper  care.  The  night  of  Holy  Thursday  presented 
the  most  distressing  scene  of  desolation  and  sorrow.  A 
thick  cloud  of  dust,  which,  rising  above  the  ruins  darkened 
the  sky  like  a  fog,  had  settled  on  the  ground.  No  shock 
was  felt,  and  never  was  a  night  more  calm  or  more  serene. 
The  moon,  nearly  full,  illuminated  the  rounded  domes  of 
the  Silla,  and  the  aspect  of  the  sky  formed  a  perfect  contrast 
to  that  of  the  earth,  covered  with  the  dead,  and  heaped  with 
ruins.  Mothers  were  seen  bearing  in  their  arms  their  chil 
dren,  whom  they  hoped  to  recall  to  life.  Desolate  families 
wandered  through  the  city,  seeking  a  brother,  a  husband, 
a  friend  of  whose  fate  they  were  ignorant,  and  whom  they 
believed  to  be  lost  in  the  crowd.  The  people  pressed  along 
the  streets,  which  could  no  more  be  recognized  but  by  long 


652  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


CARACCAS. 


lines  of  ruins.  All  the  calamities  experienced  in  the  great 
catastrophe  of  Lisbon,  Messina,  Lima,  and  Riobamba,  were 
renewed  on  the  fatal  day  of  the  26th  of  March,  1812.  The 
wounded,  buried  under  the  ruins,  implored  by  their  cries, 
the  helps  of  the  passers-by,  and  nearly  two  thousand  were 
dug  out.  Never  was  pity  displayed  in  a.  more  affecting 
manner  ;  never  had  it  been  seen  more  ingenuously  active, 
than  in  the  efforts  employed  to  save  the  miserable  victims 
whose  groans  reached  the  ear.  Implements  for  digging  and 
clearing  away  the  ruins  were  entirely  wanting  ;  and  the  peo 
ple  were  obliged  to  use  their  bare  hands  to  disinter  the 
living.  The  wounded,  as  well  as  the  sick,  who  had  escaped 
from  the  hospitals,  were  laid  on  the  banks  of  the  small  river 
Guayra.  They  found  no  shelter  but  the  foliage  of  trees. 
Beds,  linen  to  dress  the  wounds,  instruments  of  surgery, 
medicines,  and  objects  of  the  most  urgent  necessity  were 
buried  under  the  ruins.  Every  thing,  even  food,  was  want 
ed  during  the  first  days.  Water  became  alike  scarce 
in  the  interior  of  the  city.  The  commotion  of  the  earth 
had  choked  up  the  springs  that  supplied  them  ;  and  it  be 
came  necessary,  in  order  to  have  water,  to  go  down  to  the 
river  Guayra,  which  was  considerably  swelled  ;  and  then, 
vessels  to  convey  the  water  were  wanting.  There  remained 
a  duty  to  be  fulfilled  toward  the  dead,  enjoined  at  once  by 
piety  and  the  dread  of  infection.  It  being  impossible  to  in 
ter  so  many  thousand  corpses,  half  buried  under  the  ruins, 
Commissaries  were  appointed  to  burn  the  bodies;  and,  for 
this  purpose,  funeral  piles  were  erected  between  the  heaps 
of  ruins.  This  ceremony  lasted  several  days.  Amid  so 
many  public  calamities,  the  people  devoted  themselves  to 
those  religious  duties  which  they  thought  were  the  most  fit 
ted  to  appease  the  wrath  of  Heaven.  Some,  assembling  in 
procession,  sung  funeral  hymns;  others  in  a  state  of  distrac 
tion,  confessed  themselves  aloud  in  the  streets.  In  this 
town  was  now  repeated  what  had  been  remarked  in  the 
province  of  Quito,  after  the  tremendous  earthquake  of  1797  ; 
a  number  of  marriages  were  contracted  by  persons,  who  had 
neglected  for  many  years  to  sanction  their  union  by  the  sa 
cerdotal  benediction.  Children  found  parents  by  whom  they 
had  never  till  then  been  acknowledged  ;  restitutions  were 
promised  by  persons,  who  had  never  been  accused  of  fraud  ; 
and  families  who  had  long  been  enemies,  were  drawn  to 
gether  by  the  tie  of  common  calamity.  If  this  feeling 
seemed  to  calm  the  passions  of  some,  and  open  the  heart 


IN    SOUTH    AMERICA.  653 


CARACCAS. 


to  pity,  it  had  a  contrary  effect  on  others,  rendering  them 
more  rigid  and  inhuman.  In  great  calamities,  vulgar  minds 
preserve  less  goodness  than  strength.  Misfortune  acts  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  pursuits  of  literature  and  the  study  of 
nature,  their  happy  influence  is  felt  only  by  a  few,  giving 
more  ardor  to  sentiment,  more  elevation  to  the  thoughts,  and 
more  benevolence  to  the  disposition. 

This  catastrophe,  which  spread  desolation  over  the  city, 
and  buried  thousands  in  less  than  a  minute  beneath  the  earth, 
was  not  confined  to  Caraccas.  Several  considerable  towns 
and  villages  shared  in  the  calamity.  In  La  Guayra  the  num 
ber  of  the  dead  exceeded  4,000.  The  shock  was  felt  in  the 
kingdom  of  New  Grenada,  as  far  as  Santa  Fe  de  Bogota, 
180  leagues  from  Caraccas.  Fifteen  or  eighteen  hours  after 
the  great  catastrophe,  the  ground  remained  tranquil.  The 
night,  as  we  have  already  observed,  was  fine  and  calm,  and  the 
commotions  did  not  re-commence  till  after  the  27th.  They 
were  then  attended  with  a  very  loud  and  long-continued  sub 
terranean  noise,  (bramido.)  The  inhabitants  of  Caraccas 
wandered  into  the  country  ;  but  the  villages  and  farms  having 
suffered  as  much  as  the  town,  they  could  find  no  shelter  till 
they  were  beyond  the  mountains  of  Los  Teques,  in  the  val 
leys  of  Aragua,  and  in  the  Llanos  or  Savannas.  No  less 
than  fifteen  oscillations  were  often  felt  in  one  day.  On  the 
5th  of  April,  there  was  almost  as  violent  an  earthquake  as 
that  which  overthrew  the  capital.  During  several  hours,  the 
ground  was  in  a  state  of  perpetual  undulation. 

From  the  beginning  of  1811,  to  1813,  the  west  area,  lying 
between  the  parallels  of  5°  and  36°  N.,  and  the  meridians 
of  29°  and  89°  VV.,  was  shaken  bv  almost  simultaneous 
commotions,  the  effect  of  subterranean  fires.  On  the  30th 
of  January,  a  sub-marine  volcano  appeared  near  the  island 
of  St.  Michael,  one  of  the  Azores,  where  the  sea  was  sixty 
fathoms  deep.  This  new  islet  was  at  first  nothing  more  than 
a  shoal.  On  the  15th  of  January,  an  eruption,  which  last 
ed  six  days,  enlarged  its  extent,  and  elevated  it  to  the  height 
of  fifty  fathoms  above  the  sea.  This  new  land,  of  which 
formal  possession  was  taken  in  the  name  of  the  British 
Government,  was  900  toises  in  diameter.  It  received  the 
name  of  Sarbrina  Island, — a  name  not  less  ominous  than  ap 
propriate  :  Sarbrina  has  again  descended  "  to  Amphitrite's  bow 
er." — the  island  has  been  again  swallowed  up  by  the  ocean.* 

*  Humboldt. 


654  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


NEW    VALENCIA. 


NEW    VALENCIA. 

This  city  stands  about  three  miles  west  of  the  lake  of 
Valencia,  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  1,300  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  and  extended  30  miles  long,  and  about  12 
broad.  It  is  said  to  resemble  Loch  Lomond  in  the  num 
ber  of  small  islands  scattered  over  its  bosom,  amounting  to 
twenty-seven.  But  the  mountains  around  it  have  not  the 
wild  and  rugged  character  of  those  which  border  the  Scot 
tish  lake. 

The  city  of  New  Valencia  is  twelve  years  older  than 
Caraccas,  having  been  founded  in  the  year  1555,  by  Alonzo 
Diaz  Morena,  as  a  station  on  which  to  advance  on  the  valley 
of  Caraccas.  It  was  at  first  dependent  on  Burburata,  which 
is  now  nothing  more  than  a  place  of  embarkation  for  mules. 
Its  advantageous  position,  as  a  centre  of  communication  be 
tween  Puerto  Cabello  and  the  inland  towns,  has  raised  it  into 
a  place  of  considerable  importance.  At  the  time  of  Hum- 
boldt's  visit,  the  population  was  only  between  6,000  and 
7,000  souls  ;  but,  in  1810,  it  amounted  to  upwards  of  10,000. 
"  The  inhabitants,"  says  M.  Lavaysse,  "  are  nearly  all  Cre 
oles  the  descendants  of  ancient  Biscayan  and  Canary  fami 
lies.  There  is  great  industry  and  comfort  in  this  town.  It 
is  as  large  as  a  European  town  of  24,000  souls,  because  the 
greater  part  of  the  houses  have  only  a  ground  floor,  and 
many  of  them  have  gardens.  Fifty  years  ago,  its  inhabitants 
passed  for  the  most  indolent  in  the  country.  They  pretend 
ed  to  be  descended  from  the  ancient  conquerors,  and  could 
not  conceive  it  possible  for  them  to  exercise  any  other 
function  than  the  military  profession,  or  to  cultivate  the  land, 
without  degrading  themselves.  Thus,  they  lived  in  the 
most  abject  misery,  on  u  singularly  fertile  soil.  Their  ideas 
have  since  completely  changed  ;  they  have  applied  themselves 
to  agriculture  and  commerce,  and  the  grounds  in  the  neigh 
borhood,  are  well  cultivated.  Valencia  is  the  centre  of  a 
considerable  trade  between  Caraccas  and  Puerto  Cabello." 
Ilumholdt  states,  that,  when  he  was  there,  many  of  the 
whites,  especially  of  the  poorer  sort,  would  forsake  their 
houses,  and  pass  the  greater  part  of  the  year  in  their  little 
plantations  of  indigo  and  cotton,  where  they  might  venture 
to  work  with  their  own  hands  :  *'  which,  according  to  the  in 
veterate  prejudices  of  that  country,  would  be  a  disgrace  to 
them  in  town."  The  industry  of  the  inhabitants  was  begin- 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  655 

NEW    VALENCIA. 

ning  to  awake,  and  the  cultivation  of  cotton  had  considerably 
augmented,  since  Puerto  Cabello  had  been  opened,  as  a 
puerto  mayor,  to  vessels  direct  from  the  mother  country. 

There  is  nothing  striking,  according  to  Mr.  Sernple,  in 
the  appearance  of  the  town.  Some  of  the  streets,  he  says, 
are  tolerably  well  built,  but  the  houses  are  mostly  low  and 
irregular,  and  the  principal  church,  which  stands  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  great  square,  is  by  no  means  equal  to  that 
of  La  Victoria,  either  in  its  size  or  its  proportions.  The 
streets  are  very  broad  ;  the  dimensions  of  the  plaza  mayor 
are  "excessive;  "  and,  the  houses  being  low,  the  dispropor 
tion  between  the  population  and  the  space  which  the  town 
occupies,  is  still  greater  than  at  Caraccas.  The  author  of 
Letters  from  Colombia  thus  describes  the  appearance  which 
it  presented  in  1823,  at  the  time  that  it  was  the  head-quar 
ters  of  the  patriot  army  investing  Puerto  Cabello.  There 
were  then  about  two  thousand  troops  in  the  town,  among 
whom  were  most  of  the  English  who  had  survived  the 
several  campaigns.  "  The  entrance  to  the  town  is  by  a  good 
bridge  of  three  arches,  built  of  stone  and  brick,  and  described 
as  the  best  by  far  of  any  in  the  Republic.  The  Gloricta  at 
tached  to  it,  is  a  large  circular  seat,  enclosing  an  area  where 
the  inhabitants  meet  in  the  evening  for  dancing  and  festivity. 
This  is,  in  fact,  the  only  public  promenade.  Of  the  few 
benefits  bestowed  on  the  country  by  the  Spaniards,  this  is 
one.  The  bridge  and  Gloricta  were  erected  by  Morales,  not 
many  years  since.  The  town  contains  many  large  houses, 
the  best  of  which  are  occupied  by  the  military  :  a  greater 
number  are  in  ruins,  presenting  a  further  memento  of  the 
ravages  committed  by  the  earthquake.  The  population  is  not 
proportioned  to  its  present  size.  In  this,  as  well  as  in  respect 
to  its  resources,  the  prolonged  and  harassing  war  has  left 
behind  it  most  melancholy  memorials." 

It  has  been  regretted,  and  "perhaps  justly,"  Humboldt 
says,  "  that  Valencia  was  not  made  the  capital,  instead  of 
Caraccas,  under  the  colonial  government.  Its  situation,  in 
a  plain,  on  the  banks  of  a  lake,  recalls  to  mind  the  position 
of  Mexico.  When  we  reflect  on  the  easy  communication, 
which  the  valleys  of  Aragua  furnish  with  Llanos,  and  the 
rivers  that  flow  into  the  Oronoco,  and  recognize  the  possibil 
ity  of  opening  an  inland  navigation,  by  the  Rio  Pao  and  the 
Portuguesa,  as  far  as  the  mouths  of  the  Oronoco,  the  Cassi- 
quire  and  the  Amazon, — it  will  appear,  that  the  capital  of  the 


656  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


PUERTO    CABELLO. 


vast  provinces  of  Venezuela  would  have  been  better  placed 
near  the  fine  harbor  of  Puerto  Cabello,  beneath  a  pure  and 
serene  sky,  than  near  the  unsheltered  road  of  La  Guayra,  in  a 
temperate,  but  constantly  foggy  valley.  Situated  near  the  king 
dom  of  New  Grenada,  and  between  the  fertile  corn  lands  of  La 
Victoria  and  Barquesimeto,  the  city  of  Valencia  ought  to  have 
prospered  ;  but  notwithstanding  these  advantages,  it  has  been 
unable  to  maintain  the  contest  with  Caraccas,  which,  during 
two  centuries,  has  drawn  away  a  great  number  of  its  inhabi 
tants." 

"  The  advantages  of  the  situation  have  one  drawback, 
however,  in  the  incredible  number  of  ants  which  infest  the 
spot  where  Valencia  is  placed.  Their  excavations  resem 
ble  subterraneous  canals,  which,  in  the  rainy  season,  are  filled 
with  water,  and  become  very  dangerous  to  the  buildings,  by 
occasioning  a  sinking  of  the  ground.  To  set  against  this, 
there  is  an  opening  (abra)  in  the  cordillera  of  the  coast  in 
the  meridian  of  Valencia,  by  which  a  cooling  sea-breeze  pen 
etrates  into  the  valley  every  evening  :  the  breeze  rises  regu 
larly  two  or  three  hours  after  sunset." 


PUERTO  CABELLO. 

Puerto  Cabello  is,  next  to  Carthagena,  the  most  important 
fortified  place  on  this  coast.  It  stands  in  latitude  10°  28' 
north  ;  longitude  69°  10'  west.  The  town  is  quite  modern. 
The  port,  Hurnboldt  says,  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  world; 
art  has  had  scarcely  any  thing  to  add  to  the  advantages  which 
the  nature  of  the  spot  presents.  It  is  thus  described  by  the 
English  traveller :  '*  Puerto  Cabello  stands  upon  a  small  neck 
of  land,  which  has  been  cut  through,  and  thus  formed  into 
an  artificial  island.  A  bridge  crosses  this  cut,  and  affords 
entrance  to  the  original  city,  which  is  small,  but  tolerably 
well  built  and  fortified.  The  harbor  is  formed  by  a  low 
island  to  the  north-west,  and  banks  covered  with  mangrove 
trees,  which  shelter  it  on  every  side.  It  is  deep  and  capa 
cious.  An  excellent  wharf,  faced  with  stone,  allows  vessels 
of  a  large  burden  being  laid  close  alongside  of  it;  and  as 
they  can  be  easily  and  securely  fastened  to  the  shore,  anchors 
are  here  seldom  necessary.  To  this  circumstance,  in  which 


IN    SOUTH    AMERICA.  657 


PUERTO    CABELLO. 


it  resembles  the  harbor  of  Curacoa,  Puerto  Cabello  is  said  to 
owe  its  name,  as  implying  that  vessels  may  there  be  secured 
by  a  single  hair.  The  island  is  strongly  fortified  ;  and  the 
batteries,  being  low  and  mounted  with  heavy  cannon,  are  ca 
pable  of  making  a  good  defence.  Towards  the  land,  the 
works  are  not  so  strong,  and  the  whole  is  within  reach  of 
bomb  shot  from  the  first  heights  to  the  southward  of  the 
town  ;  some  of  which  are  fortified. 

"  This  harbor  and  La  Guayra  form  a  striking  contrast. 
Here  vessels  lie,  as  in  a  small  smooth  lake,  while  the  waves 
break  high  upon  the  outside  of  the  island  and  along  the  shore. 
In  return  for  this,  the  worm  makes  great  ravages  in  the  bot 
tom  of  such  ships  as  are  not  coppered.  In  no  part  of  the  world 
is  it  more  destructive  ;  and  a  small  vessel,  left  unattended,  in 
a  very  few  months,  would  founder  at  her  moorings  from  this 
cause  alone. 

"  The  plain  in  which  Puerto  Cabello  stands,  is  bounded 
on  the  south  by  mountains,  and  on  the  north  by  the  sea,  and  is 
nowhere  more  than  two  miles  in  breadth.  To  the  west,  a  small 
river  descends  from  the  mountains,  and  empties  itself  into 
the  sea.  To  the  south-east  of  the  town,  the  flats  are  annual 
ly  flooded  by  the  rain:  and  the  exhalations  from  them  are 
very  probably  the  cause  of  the  destructive  fevers  which  so 
frequently  rage  here  in  the  summer  and  autumn  months. 
Few  strangers  can  then  visit  this  port  with  impunity, or  at 
least  without  great  danger  ;  and  there  have  been  instances  of 
vessels  losing  the  greater  part  of  their  crews  in  a  very  short 
time.  This,  however,  has  not  prevented  the  rapid  increase 
of  the  place,  which  was  originally  confined  within  the  works 
upon  the  small  peninsula,  out  of  which  no  houses  were  for 
some  time  allowed  to  be  built.  At  first,  low  huts  were  erect 
ed,  under  the  express  condition  of  being  demolished  in  case 
of  an  enemy's  approach ;  and  in  a  long  interval  of  years, 
during  which  no  hostile  force  appeared,  these  huts  were  grad 
ually  enlarged  and  increased.  The  suburbs  now  exceed  the 
town  in  population  and  extent,  but  still  retain  their  low  and 
mean  appearance,  and  are  subject  to  the  original  stipulations 
in  case  of  danger.  A  great  proportion  of  the  houses  have  no 
upper  story  ;  and  the  population  being  almost  entirely  col 
ored,  the  stranger  is  more  apt  to  consider  the  whole  as  a 
large  Indian  village,  than  as  part  of  a  European  settlement. 

"  About  a  league  to  the  westward  of  Puerto  Cabello  is  the 
small  bay  of  Burburata,  used  as  a  port  previously  to  the  es 
tablishmerit  of  the  former.  The  road  to  it  leads  across  the 


G58  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


CAKTIIAGK.NA. 


marshy  plain  of  Puerto  Cabello,  to  the  sides  of  the  hills,  along 
which  it  winds  for  some  time,  until  it  again  crosses  a  sandy 
flat,  and  brings  us  to  the  opening  of  the  valley  of  Burburata. 
The  bottom  of  this  valley  is  level,  or  very  gently  sloped  to 
wards  the  sea,  and  consists  of  a  deep,  rich  mould,  every 
where  covered  with  banana  trees,  mimosas,  triplaris,  and 
plantations  of  sugar,  coffee,  and  cocoa.  The  latter  are  easily 
distinguished  by  the  tall  erithrynas  which  shade  the  cacao 
Ihto  broma,  and  are  covered  with  clusters  of  red  flowers. 
As  they  rise  with  a  straight  stem,  they  permit  a  free  circula 
tion  of  air  beneath,  while  their  tufted  tops  effectually  exclude 
the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun.  Houses  and  clusters  of  huts 
are  scattered  about  among  the  trees,  and  a  kind  of  church 
marks  what  may  be  considered  as  the  centre  of  the  village 
of  Burburata.  A  small  stream  serves  to  irrigate  the  numer 
ous  plantations.  The  population  is  entirely  a  colored  race, 
in  which  is  a  great  proportion  of  Indian  blood.  The  air  of 
the  valley  is  moist  and  hot,  and  snakes  abound  in  the  lux 
uriant  herbage  which  every  where  covers  the  soil.  One  of 
these  crossed  my  path,  and  another,  large  and  yellow,  with 
dark  spots,  lay  basking  beneath  a  bush,  into  which  he  glided 
on  my  approach.  Mountains,  covered  with  wood,  enclose 
this  fertile  flat  on  every  side,  except  a  small  opening  towards 
the  sea.  Here,  lower  down,  was  formerly  the  principal  port 
on  the  coast.  Vessels  drawing  ten  or  twelve  feet  of  water 
can  anchor  in  a  bight  near  the  shore  :  the  bottom  is  a  fine 
white  sand  ;  and  Burburata  is  still  the  chief  port  from  which 
the  mules,  horses,  and  cattle  of  Venezuela,  are  exported  to 
Jamaica  and  other  islands  of  the  West  Indies." 


CARTHAGENA. 

In  November,  1822,  M.  G.  MoJlien,  a  French  traveller, 
already  known  to  the  public  by  his  travels  in  the  interior  of 
Africa,  landed  at  Carthagena.  The  port  is  a  magnificent 
one.  The  bay  is  one  of  the  Jargest  and  best  on  the  whole 
coast,  extending  two  leagues  and  a  haif  from  north  to  south  ; 
it  has  capital  anchorage,  though  the  many  shallows  at  the 
entrance  require  a  careful  steerage,  and  being  completely 
land  locked,  is  so  smooth,  that  vessels  ride  here  as  on  a  river. 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  059 


CARTHAGENA. 


The  bay  abounds  with  fish  and  excellent  turtles.  Sharks  are 
so  numerous  as  to  render  bathing  highly  dangerous,  and  they 
have  been  known  to  attack  even  boats.  The  Indian  name 
of  the  place  was  Calamari,  which  signifies,  we  are  told  by 
Alcedo,  the  land  of  cray  fish.  The  city  is  built  on  a  small 
peninsula,  originally  a  sandy  island,  but  now  connected  with 
the  continent  by  an  artificial  neck  of  land.  It  has  a  suburb, 
called  Xiximani,  almost  as  large  as  the  city,  built  on  another 
island,  and  communicating  with  it  by  means  of  a  wooden 
bridge.  Both  the  city  and  the  suburbs  are  surrounded  with 
strong  fortifications  of  freestone.  At  a  short  distance 
from  the  town,  on  the  main  land,  is  a  hill  commanding 
these  fortifications,  on  which  is  a  strong  fort.  This  em 
inence,  which  is  about  150  feet  high,  communicates  on  the 
east  with  a  range  of  more  elevated  hills,  terminating  in  a 
summit  .550  feet  above  the  sea,  on  which  stands  the  Augus- 
tinian  monastery  of  Nuestra  Scnhora  de  la  JPopa.  The 
height  of  La  Popa  is  not  fortified,  which,  says  Capt.  Coch- 
rane,  is  unaccountable,  as  it  has  several  times  been  the  cause 
of  the  fall  of  Carthagena,  without  almost  a  single  shot  being 
fired.  The  Colombians  have  now  some  idea  of  fortifying  it. 
I  found  lying  there  a  large  brass  eighteen  pounder, that  had 
been  brought  by  Morillo,  and  the  remains  of  a  fascine  and 
mud  battery,  erected  by  Bolivar,  when  he  attacked  Cartha 
gena.  Had  Admiral  Vernon  landed  a  few  cannon,  and  had 
them  dragged  here  by  a  body  of  seamen,  he  must  have  cap 
tured  the  place,  as  the  possessors  of  this  point  will  always  be 
masters  of  the  city.  On  the  summit,  at  the  western  extremi 
ty,  is  the  August  in  convent  of  Nuestra  Senlwra  de  la  Popa, 
which  was  formerly  very  rich.  I  saw  the  room  where  Boli 
var  was  sitting  during  the  siege,  when  a  shot  entering  at  the 
window,  shattered  the  shutter,  passed  over  his  head,  struck 
the  wall,  bounded  back,  and  then,  striking  the  side  wall, 
bounced  out  at  another  window,  without  doing  Bolivar  any 
injury.  The  monastery  is  now  almost  in  ruins,  and  is  ten 
anted  by  one  solitary  friar,  who  occasionally  makes  a  little 
money  by  letting  one  or  two  rooms  to  people  who  wish  to 
enjoy  cooler  air  than  that  of  the  town,  which  would  be  in 
sufferable  were  it  not  for  an  almost  constant  sea  breeze. 

The  town  produces  by  no  means  a  pleasing  impression,  in 
contrast  with  the  cheerful  seaports  of  the  United  States, 
from  which  the  French  traveller  had  recently  sailed.  Car- 


GGO  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

CARTHAGKNA. 

thagena,in  fact,  he  says,  presents  the  melancholy  aspect  of 
a  cloister.  Long  galleries,  short  and  clumsy  columns,  streets 
narrow  and  dark,  from  the  too  great  projection  of  the  ter 
races,  which  almost  prevent  the  admission  of  daylight ;  the 
greater  part  of  the  houses  dirty,  full  of  smoke,  poverty 
stricken,  and  sheltering  beings  still  more  filthy,  black,  and 
miserable :  such  is  the  picture  at  first  presented  by  a  city 
adorned  with  the  name  of  the  rival  of  Rome.  However,  on 
entering  the  houses,  their  construction,  singular  at  first 
sight,  appears  afterwards  to  be  well  contrived,  the  object 
being  to  admit  the  circulation  of  fresh  air.  The  rooms  are 
nothing  but  immense  vestibules,  in  which  the  cool  air,  un 
fortunately  so  rare,  might  be  respired  with  the  utmost  de 
light,  were  it  not  for  the  stings  of  thousands  of  insects,  and 
for  the  bats,  whose  bites  are  not  only  more  painful,  but  are 
even  said  to  be  venomous.  A  table,  half  a  dozen  wooden 
chairs,  a  mat  bed,  a  large  jar,  and  two  candlesticks,  general 
ly  compose  the  whole  stock  of  furniture  of  these  habitations, 
which  are  built  of  brick,  and  covered  in  with  tiles.  Two 
sieges  which  Carthagena  has  undergone,  have  ruined  the  re 
sources  of  a  majority  of  its  inhabitants. 

Carthagena  is  very  strong,  and  of  vast  extent.  Nine 
thousand  men,  at  least,  would  be  required  to  defend  it  at  all 
points.  The  immense  cisterns  contained  within  its  walls, 
are  justly  objects  of  admiration ;  and  the  water  preserved  in 
them  is  excellent.  Carthagena  is,  therefore,  rather  a  forti 
fied  than  a  commercial  town,  and  will  entirely  cease  to  be 
the  latter,  when  it  is  no  longer  the  entrepot  of  Panama.  At 
a  distance  of  200  leagues  from  the  equator,  its  temperature 
is  hot  and  unhealthy,  and  the  yellow  fever  makes  frequent 
ravages  there.  The  population  of  Carthagena,  about  18,000 
souls,  is,  for  the  most  part,  composed  of  people  of  color,  the 
greater  proportion  of  whom  are  sailors  or  fishermen.  Many 
keep  shops  for  the  sale  of  mercery  or  eatables,  others  follow 
useful  trades :  they  display  a  nascent  industry,  which,  to 
prosper,  requires,  perhaps,  only  encouragement  and  emula 
tion.  Their  shell  works  are  beautiful.  They  are  skilful  jew 
ellers,  good  carpenters,  excellent  shoemakers,  tolerable  tai 
lors,  indifferent  joiners,  blacksmiths  rather  than  whitesmiths, 
masons  destitute  of  all  ideas  of  proportion,  and  bad  painters, 
but  impassioned  musicians.  The  dangers  of  the  sea,  and 
an  industry  often  praised  and  always  well  paid,  have  inspired 
the  people  of  color  with  a  pride  which  often  gives  occasion 
for  complaint.  Their  petulance  and  vivacity  form  a  singular 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  661 


CARTHAGENA. 


contrast  with  the  indifference  and  mildness  of  those  who  are 
called  whites;  so  that,notwithstanding  their  idleness,  they  ap 
pear  active  and  laborious.  The  contraband  trade  is  ex 
clusively  confined  to  them,  and  the  heartiness  with  which 
they  engage  in  it,  is  a  reproach  to  those  whose  duty  it  is  to 
put  a  stop  to  the  illicit  traffic. 

The  women  of  color,  the  offspring  of  negresses  and  white 
men,  are  tall,  and  much  more  agreeable  than  the  mulattoes 
of  our  Antilles,  who  are  generally  too  corpulent :  daughters 
of  the  Indians  and  negroes,  their  physiognomy  possesses 
greater  delicacy  and  expression.  If,  on  the  one  hand,  the 
races  become  more  enervated  under  the  tropics  as  they  be 
come  fairer,  on  the  other,  their  personal  appearance  is  im 
proved.  Thus  it  is,  that  the  female  mulattoes  are  very  in 
ferior  in  beauty  to  the  whites,  and  lose  much  when  seen  near 
them,  which  often  happens  with  the  Spaniards,  in  whose 
churches  there  are  no  privileged  places,  as  in  those  of  the 
United  States.  With  the  Spaniards,  all  pray  to  God  in  com 
mon,  without  regard  to  color  ;  and  an  insurrection  would 
doubtless  be  the  consequence,  should  the  following  notice 
be  officially  affixed  to  the  church  doors  :  To-day  instruction 
for  men  of  color. 

Carthagena  was  founded  by  Pedro  de  Heredia,  in  1533. 
It  was  made  an  episcopal  city  in  1534.  Owing  to  its  fine 
situation,  it  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  foreigners,  par 
ticularly  the  French.  It  was  sacked  by  a  Corsican  pirate 
in  1544.  In  1583,  Sir  Francis  Drake,  after  pillaging  it,  set 
it  on  fire,  but  it  was  rescued  from  the  flames  by  a  ransom  of 
120,000  ducats,  paid  him  by  the  neighboring  colonies.  It 
was  invaded  and  pillaged  a  third  time,  by  the  French,  in 
1697.  In  the  year  1741,  it  was  invested  by  the  English,  un 
der  Admiral  Vernon  and  Sir  Charles  Ogle,  who  succeeded 
in  destroying  the  forts  ;  but,  owing,  as  it  is  said,  to  a  misunder 
standing  between  the  naval  and  military  commanders,  and  a 
mortality  among  the  troops,  the  enterprise  was  precipitately 
abandoned  with  considerable  loss.  It  has  suffered  much  in 
the  revolutionary  contest.  The  climate  is  very  hot,  especial 
ly  during  the  rainy  season,  which  lasts  from  May  to  Novem 
ber,  and  is  attended  by  a  continued  succession  of  tempests 
and  thunder-storms.  The  streets  have  then  the  appearance 
of  rivers,  and  all  the  cisterns  and  tanks  are  filled,  to  which 
the  inhabitants  are  indebted  for  their  only  supply  of  sweet 
water.  From  December  to  April,  the  weather  is  fine,  and 


662  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

CHUQUISACA. 

the  heat  is  tempered  by  north-east  winds.  The  black  vomit 
is  almost  as  fatal  here  to  strangers  as  at  Vera  Cruz.  The  in 
habitants  are  very  subject  to  leprosy.  Bats  are  so  numerous 
that  they  cover  the  streets  in  an  evening,  in  clouds,  and 
there  is  not  a  house  in  which  these  nocturnal  visiters  are  not 
found.  Beetles,  centipedes,  scorpions,  niguas,  and  mor- 
cielagos,  are  among  the  insect  annoyances  of  the  place  ;  be 
sides  which,  Alcedo  mentions  the  culebrilla,  which  breeds 
under  the  skin,  causing  a  swelling,  which  often  terminates 
in  gangrene,  and  produces  convulsions.  Merchandise  is 
very  liable  to  be  destroyed  by  the  moth.  The  inhabitants 
have  in  general  a  very  unhealthy  appearance,  and  yet  there 
are  said  to  be  many  instances  of  longevity.  It  stands  in  lat 
itude  10°  26'  north  ;  longitude  75°  26'  west. 


BOLIVIA. 


CHUQUISACA. 

CHUQUISACA  is  the  capital  of  Bolivia.  It  was  formerly 
called  La  Plata,  (the  silver  river,)  or  Charcas,  being  the  cap 
ital  of  Los  Charcas,  an  extensive  province,  comprehending 
all  the  south-east  part  of  Peru.  According  to  Alcedo,  it 
stands  in  latitude  19°  31'  south  ;  290  leagues  from  Cuzco. 
The  population  is  variously  estimated.  According  to  Mr. 
Miller,  it  contains  18,000  souls.  It  was  founded  in  1539,  by 
one  of  Pizarro's  captains.  It  stands  in  a  small  plain,  sur 
rounded  with  eminences,  which  defend  it  from  the  inclemen 
cy  of  the  winds.  The  climate  is  mild,  but,  during  the  win 
ter,  dreadful  tempests  are  not  unusual,  and  the  rains  of  long 
continuance.  The  city  is  supplied  with  water  from  several 
public  fountains  by  means  of  aqueducts.  The  best  houses 
are  only  one  story  in  height,  but  roomy,  with  delightful  gar 
dens.  There  is  a  large  and  handsome  cathedral,  adorned 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  663 


with  fine  furniture  and  some  beautiful  paintings ;  there  are 
also,  besides  another  parochial  church,  five  monastic  estab 
lishments,  all  spacious  buildings  with  splendid  churches,  a 
conventual  hospital,  three  nunneries,  and  a  royal  university. 
Latitude,  19°  30'  south.  Longitude,  66°  46'  west. 


POTOSI. 

Potosi  is  situated  about  15,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea,  in  the  province  of  Porco,  in  lat.  19°  51',  and  Ion.  60°  31' 
of  Cadiz.  Upon  the  accidental  discovery  of  its  mineral 
riches  in  1545,*  it  became  a  mine  station,  but  was  at  length 
made  a  town,  and  afterwards  the  capital  of  the  intendency. 
In  1611,  Potosi  contained  150,000  inhabitants,  a  great  part 
of  whom  were  miners.  In  1825,  owing  to  the  check  given 
to  the  working  of  the  mines,  and  the  shocks  sustained  by 
the  wealthy  establishments  during  the  Revolution,  the  popu 
lation  is  said  to  have  been  reduced  to  8,000. 

The  traveller,  on  approaching  Potosi,  from  whatever  side 
he  may  come,  emerges  from  deep  mountain  ravines,  and  dis 
covers  the  town  at  the  foot  of  the  celebrated  argentiferous 
Cerro,  which  is  a  conical  hill  about  three  leagues  in  circum 
ference  at  the  base.  Its  summit  is  more  than  2,000  feet 
above  the  town,  and  consequently  17,000  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea.  It  appears  to  be  of  volcanic  origin,  and  its  sides 
are  marked  with  spots  of  various  hues,  such  as  dark  green, 
orange,  grey  and  red.  Above  5,000  mine  mouths  or  levels 
have  been  opened  on  the  mountain.  Of  these,  only  fifty  or 
sixty  are  now  worked.  The  rest  are  stopped  up,  are  inun 
dated,  or  have  fallen  in.  The  upper  portion  of  the  mountain 
is  so  completely  honey-combed,  that  it  may  be  considered  as 
nearly  worked  out.  The  lower  part,  above  one  third  of  the 
cone,  has  hardly  been  touched,  in  consequence  of  the  num 
ber  of  springs  which  impede  the  workings. 

*  The  story  told  respecting  their  discovery,  is,  that  an  Indian,  who 
was  pursuing  some  wild  goats  up  the  mountains,  on  coming  to  a  very 
steep  part,  laid  hold  of  a  small  shrub,  to  assist  him  to  climb  up;  the 
shrub  gave  way  from  its  roots,  and  discovered  a  mass  of  fine  silver 
among  the  clods. 


664  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


The  surrounding  country  is  also  metalliferous.  Silver  of 
great  fineness  abounds  in  a  hill  called  Guayna  Potosi,  (Young 
Potosi,)  close  to  the  Ccrro,  but  which  cannot  be  worked,  on 
account  of  numerous  springs  being  met  with  at  no  great  dis 
tance  from  the  surface.  The  ore  is  pulverized  in  mills, 
worked  with  overshot  wheels,  turned  by  streamlets  conduct 
ed  from  lakes  or  pools  in  the  mountains,  from  one  to  ten 
miles  distance  from  the  city.  The  most  considerable  of 
these  lakes  are  formed  by  dams  built  across  the  ravines. 
The  water  is  sparingly  let  out  by  a  sluice  in  the  daytime,  but 
never  at  night,  and  sometimes  not  oftener  than  twice  a  week, 
according  to  the  supply.  Some  of  the  larger  pools  are  fed 
by  tributary  ones,  situated  in  higher  recesses  of  the  same 
mountains.  People  are  constantly  employed  as  lake  keep 
ers,  to  attend  to  the  sluices,  and  to  repair  damages.  In  very 
dry  seasons,  it  has  happened,  that  a  scarcity  of  water  has 
caused  the  mills  to  stand  still.  This  inconvenience  might 
be  obviated,  if  the  channels  were  paved,  and  the  lakes  prop 
erly  cleaned  out. 

The  town  of  Potosi  is  built  on  uneven  ground.  It  has  a 
spacious  square  in  the  centre.  The  government  house,  the 
town  house,  and  the  jail,  under  the  same  roof,  occupy  one 
side  ;  the  treasury,  and  government  officers  another  ;  a  con 
vent  and  an  unfinished  church  the  third  ;  and  private  resi 
dences  the  fourth.  ,  Extensive  suburbs,  once  tenanted  by  In 
dians  and  miners,  are  now  without  an  inhabitant,  and  the 
vestiges  of  the  streets  are  all  that  remain. 

Among  the  most  remarkable  public  edifices  is  the  mint, 
substantially  built  of  stone,  upon  a  plan  admirably  adapted  to 
the  purposes  for  which  it  was  designed.  It  cost  1,148,000 
dollars,  including  the  machinery.  It  contains  spacious  apart 
ments  for  the  superintendent  and  a  few  of  the  principal 
officers.* 

The  climate  of  Potosi  is  disagreeable.  The  rays  of  the 
sun  are  scorchingly  hot  at  noon,  while  in  the  shade,  and  at 

*  The  first  mint  was  built  in  1572 ;  the  present  edifice  in  1751.  Up  to 
the  latter  date,  the  money  coined  at  Potosi  consisted  of  flat,  angular 
pieces  of  silver  or  gold,  bearing  the  Spanish  arms,  and  a  figure  denoting 
their  value.  They  are  often  called  Buccaneer  dollars,  and  are  the 
"  pieces  of  eight,"  frequently  mentioned  in  the  history  of  those  marine 
freebooters.  The  annual  coinage  has,  in  the  most  productive  years, 
amounted  to  five  millions  of  dollars  in  silver,  and  36,800  doubloons  in 
gold. 


IN    SOUTH    AMERICA.  665 


night,  the  air  is  piercingly  cold.  The  country  for  three 
leagues  around  is  so  completely  barren,  that  a  blade  of  vegeta 
tion  is  not  to  be  seen,  with  the  exception  of  a  plant  called 
quinuali,  which  is  a  remedy  against  the  puna,  (difficulty  of 
respiration.) 

The  market  of  Potosi  is  one  of  the  best  supplied  in  South 
America,  though  some  articles  of  great  consumption  are 
furnished  from  very  distant  provinces.  Wine,  brandy,  and 
oil  are  brought  from  the  Puertos  Intermedios,  and  flour  from 
Cochabamba.  Mules,  asses,  and  llamas  are  the  only  means 
of  transport.  The  necessaries,  as  well  as  the  luxuries  of  life 
are  exorbitantly  dear.  Formerly,  many  Indian  families 
took  up  their  abode  in  huts  and  caves  near  the  mines  on  the 
Cerro,  and  descended  to  the  town  only  on  a  Saturday  night, 
to  receive  their  wages,  and  to  purchase  a  weekly  supply  of 
provisions.  Many  of  these  often  remained  to  squander  their 
earnings  in  dissipation,  drunkenness,  or  gambling;  and 
passed  great  part  of  the  night  playing  the  guitar,  and  singing 
at  the  doors  of  the  tippling  shops. 

A  singular  custom,  which  probably  originated  in  the  in 
dulgence  of  early  mine  owners  still  prevails.  Between  Satur 
day  night  and  Monday  morning,  the  Cerro  literally  becomes 
the  property  of  such  persons  as  choose  to  work  upon  their 
own  account.  During  that  time,  the  boldest  master  would 
not  venture  to  visit  his  own  mines.  They,  who  thus  take  pos 
session  are  called  caxchas,  and  generally  sell  the  produce  of 
Sunday  to  their  own  masters.  Independently  of  the  ore  thus 
abstracted,  the  caxchas  did  considerable  mischief  by  neglect 
ing  the  proper  precautions  as  they  excavated.  If  they  met 
with  a  more  than  usually  rich  vein  in  the  course  of  the  week, 
it  was  passed  over,  and  cunningly  reserved  for  the  following 
Sunday.  Very  strong  measures  were  therefore  taken  to 
abolish  the  custom  ;  but  every  effort  proved  unsuccessful. 
The  caxchas  defended  their  privilege  by  force  of  arms,  and 
by  hurling  down  large  stones  upon  their  assailants.  So 
watchful  are  they,  that  it  once  happened  that  fifteen  or  twen 
ty  llamas,  richly  laden  with  silver  ore,  were  seized  on  the  de 
scent,  because  they  had  left  the  mine  after  the  hour  at  which 
the  caxcha  privilege  commenced.  Neither  llamas  nor  drivers 
were  ever  heard  of  again. 

Although  Potosi  was  the  last  town  in  Peru  that  became 
independent,  it  was  the  first  to  raise  a  monument  to  its  liber 
ators  ;  for,  previously  to  Bolivar's  arrival  in  1825,  an  obelisk, 
sixty  feet  high,  was  erected  in  the  principal  square. 


666  TRAVELS   AND   SKETCHES 


Besides  the  preceding  cities  there  are  others  which  in  this 
connection  may  be  briefly  noticed. 

LA  PAZ,  situated  in  lat:  16°  29'  S.  is  distant  from  Potosi 
350  miles  by  the  road,  and  contains,  according  to  Holmes, 
20,000  inhabitants.  It  lies  in  a  ravine,  so  deep,  narrow,  and 
steep,  that  it  is  quite  concealed  from  the  view  of  the  travel 
ler,  till  he  arrives  almost  directly  over  it.  He  sees,  of  a  sud 
den,  as  he  is  proceeding,  a  vast  gulf  at  his  feet,  in  the  bot 
tom  of  which  appears  a  town  very  regularly  built,  as-  it  seems, 
with  packs  of  cards.  "  The  coup  d'ceil  of  La  Paz  conveys 
precisely  this  idea;  the  red  tiled  roofs  and  white  fronts  of 
the  houses  answering  admirably  for  hearts  a;id  diamonds, 
whilst  the  smoked  roofs  and  dingy  mud  walls  of  the  Indian 
ranches  answer  equally  well  for  spades  and  clubs.  Through 
this  fairy  town  may  be  faintly  seen,  winding  with  occasional 
interruptions,  a  silver  thread,  marked  with  specks  of  frothy 
white,  which,  upon  approaching,  proves  to  be  a  mountain 
torrent,  leaping  from  rock  to  rock,  and  sweeping  through 
the  valley.  In  casting  an  eye  farther  round,  you  perceive 
squares  and  patches  of  every  shade  of  green  and  yellow  ; 
fruit  and  vegetables,  and  crops  of  every  kind,  in  all  their 
stages,  from  the  act  of  sowing  to  that  of  gathering  in,  trees 
bearing  fruit,  and  at  the  same  time  putting  forth  buds  and 
blossoms,  and  the  whole  scene  teeming  with  luxuriance  and 
beauty.  Yet, on  raising  the  eyes  from  the  lap  of  this  fruitful 
Eden,  they  rest  on  the  widest  contrast  in  the  realms  of  na 
ture.  Naked  and  arid  rocks  rise  in  mural  precipices  around  ; 
high  above  these,  mountains  beaten  by  furious  tempests 
frown  in  all  the  blackness  of  sterility  ;  higher  still,  the  tops 
of  others,  reposing  in  the  regions  of  eternal  snow,  glisten  with 
undiminished  splendor  in  the  presence  of  a  tropical  sun. 
After  a  descent  of  three  miles,  you  reach  the  bottom  of  the 
ravine  ;  artd  instead  of  finding  La  Paz  built  on  a  flat,  as  you 
supposed  from  the  summit  overhanging  the  abyss,  you  find 
it  really  built  on  hills  with  some  of  its  streets  extremely 
steep.  The  torrent  which  waters  the  ravine  is  a  head  branch 
of  the  mighty  Beni,  or  main  stream  of  the  Maranon  ;  and  in 
falls  of  rain,  forces  along  huge  masses  of  rock,  with  large 
grains  of  gold.  It  is  the  great  emporium  of  Peru,  as  all  the 
merchandise  from  the  Pacific  is  conveyed  thither,  then  car 
ried  off  by  merchants,  great  and  small,  to  the  towns  and  vil 
lages  in  the  interior. 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  667 


OROPEZA ORURO. 


OROPEZA,  or  Cochabamba,  is  the  capital  of  the  rich  and 
fertile  district  of  Cochabamba,  and  is  so  called  from  the 
gold  found  in  its  vicinity.  It  lies  in  a  fertile  valley,  near 
the  source  of  the  Rio  Grande,  the  head  branch  of  the  Ma 
deira.  The  district  being  the  very  granary  of  Bolivia,  this 
city  drives  a  great  trade  in  grain,  fruits  and  vegetables;  and 
contains  17,000  inhabitants,  amongst  which  are  many  rich 
and  noble  families. 

ORURO  was  once  a  place  of  note,  with  8,000  inhabitants, 
but  now  reduced  to  less  than  one  half,  from  the  destruction 
of  the  tin  and  silver  mines  in  its  vicinity,  which  formerly 
supported  a  brisk  and  extensive  commerce,  but  now  nearly 
extinct  from  want  of  those  resources,  which  were  absorbed 
by  the  all-consuming  evils  of  civil  war.  The  tin  mines 
were  long  famous,  and  those  of  silver  were  once  among  the 
most  productive  in  Peru.  But,  of  late  years,  being  aban 
doned,  they  have  filled  with  water,  which  they  have  neither  ma 
chinery  to  employ,  nor  money  for  applying  any  other  method 
to  carry  it  off.  Here  were  many  families  of  enormous 
wealth.  Rodriguez,  the  late  head  of  one  of  these,  was  propri 
etor  of  a  famous  silver  mine  in  the  vicinity,  so  productive,  that 
he  discarded  from  his  house  all  articles  of  glass,  delft,  or 
crockery  ware,  and  replaced  them  by  others  made  from  the 
silver  of  his  mine.  Utensils  of  the  most  common  use,  as 
well  as  those  of  luxury  and  ornament,  such  as  pier-tables  in 
the  principal  apartments,  frames  of  pictures  and  of  mirrors, 
footstools,  pots,  and  pans,  were  all  of  silver.  Said  a  native 
to  Semple,  who  was  there  in  1827, — "  Do  you  see  that  trough 
in  the  court  yard  ?  "  (pointing  to  a  very  large  stone  trough  for 
watering  mules  and  other  animals,) — "  I  do  assure  you  that 
Rodriguez  had  two  of  much  larger  size  for  the  same  pur 
pose,  of  pure  and  solid  silver  ;  and  before  the  revolution,  there 
were  three  or  four  houses  in  Oruro,  that  could  boast  of 
having  quite  as  much."  Oruro  is  180  miles  north  of  Potosi, 
in  a  barren  and  level  plain,  bounded  west  by  the  snow-cov 
ered  Andes.* 

*  Goodrich's  Universal  Geography. 


PERU. 


LIMA. 

LIMA,  the  capital  of  Peru,  was  founded  by  Pizarro,  in 
1535.  It  is  situated  on  the  western  coast,  about  two 
leagues  from  the  ocean,  and  30  from  the  Cordilleras  :  lati 
tude,  12°  2' south  ;  longitude,  76°  58' west.  It  stands  in  the 
midst  of  the  spacious  and  delightful  valley  of  Rimac,  the 
name  of  an  idol  formerly  worshipped  by  the  Peruvians,  and 
supposed  to  have  been  corrupted  by  the  Spanish  pronuncia 
tion  into  Lima.  A  river  of  the  same  name  passes  close  by 
the  city  on  the  north,  watering  the  valley  by  numerous  ca 
nals,  and  falling  into  the  sea  near  Callao.  This  latter  is  the 
port  of  Lima.  On  approaching  the  anchorage  at  Callao,  the 
numerous  spires  and  domes  of  Lima  are  seen  to  the  left  of 
the  town  of  Callao,  giving  to  the  city  an  air  decidedly  orien 
tal.  The  prospect,  at  sunset,  Mr.  Miller  tells  us,  is  particu 
larly  interesting  ;  for  when  twilight  has  already  thrown  the 
landscape  of  the  plain  into  deep  shade,  the  domes  of  the  city 
are  still  gilded  by  the  departing  sun  ;  and  when  these  are 
also  become  shrouded  in  darkness,  the  peaks  of  the  mountains 
continue  for  some  time  to  be  illumined  by  his  lingering  beams. 

Callao  was  itself  formerly  a  city,  and  a  place  of  some 
beauty.  But  at  present  the  houses  make  but  an  indifferent 
appearance,  being  only  about  twenty  feet  high,  divided  into 
two  stories,  with  mud  walls  and  flat  roofs.  The  ground 
floors  form  a  row  of  small  shops,  open  in  front,  and  the  up 
per  stories  an  uncouth  corridor.  The  slightness  of  their 
construction  is  sufficiently  explained  by  two  circumstances  ; 
the  frequency  of  earthquakes,  and  rain  being  unknown. 
The  city  of  Callao  (for  such  was  the  title  conferred  upon  it 
in  1671)  was  entirely  destroyed  by  the  earthquake  of  1746, 
which  laid  three-fourths  of  the  capital  in  ruins.  By  that 
terrible  convulsion,  upwards  of  3,000  people  are  said  to  have 
perished  at  Callao  alone.  The  city  stood  at  a  short  distance  to 
the  southward  of  the  present  town;  and  on  a  calm  dav.the 
668 


PIZARRO. 


670  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


ruins  may  yet  be  seen  under  water,  at  that  part  of  the  bay 
called  the  Mar  Braba,  (rough  sea,)  where  a  sentry  is  placed 
on  the  beach,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  charge  of  any  treas 
ure  that  may  be  washed  ashore,  which  not  unfrequently  hap 
pens.  In  Alcedo's  Dictionary,  it  is  stated,  that,  of  3,000 
inhabitants,  only  one  man  was  left  to  record  the  dreadful  ca 
tastrophe.  Mr.  Stevenson,  however,  became  acquainted  with 
an  old  mulatto,  who  was  one  of  the  three  or  four  who  were 
saved.  He  told  me  (says  Mr.  S.)  that  he  was  sitting  on  some 
timber,  which  had  been  landed  from  a  ship  in  the  bay,  at  the 
time  that  the  great  wave  of  the  sea  rolled  in,  and  buried  the 
city  ;  and  that  he  was  carried,  clinging  to  the  log,  near  to  the 
chapel,  a  distance  of  three  miles.  The  island  of  San  Loren 
zo  is  said  to  have  been  separated  from  the  main  land  by  this 
convulsion.  It  is  between  two  and  three  miles  in  circuit, 
the  soil  mere  sand  and  black  rock. 

From  Callao  to  Lima  is  six  miles,  and  a  good  road.  But 
two  miles,  however,  of  this  road  has  been  finished  as  it  was 
begun.  Commencing  at  a  noble  gateway  at  the  entrance 
of  the  city,  it  has  a  double  row  of  lofty  willows  on  each 
side,  shading  the  footwalk.  A  small  stream  of  water  runs 
by  each  walk,  irrigating  the  willows,  and  nourishing  num 
berless  weeds  and  flowers.  This  promenade  is  also  fur 
nished  with  stone  benches  every  hundred  yards  ;  and  at  about 
every  mile  is  a  large  circle  formed  of  walls  of  brick  and  stone, 
four  feet  high,  with  stone  seats  around  it,  for  carriages  to 
turn  in  with  greater  ease  than  on  the  road.  It  was  the  in 
tention  of  the  Viceroy  to  carry  the  road  down  to  Callao  in 
the  same  style  ;  but  only  the  carriage  road  is  finished,  which 
has  a  parapet  of  brick  on  each  side  to  keep  together  the  ma 
terials.  Half  way  between  the  port  and  the  city  stands  a 
very  neatly  built  chapel,  with  a  small  cloister  attached  to  it, 
dedicated  to  our  Lady  of  Mount  Carmel,  the  protectress 
of  seamen.  Near  it,  is  a  house  at  which  are  sold  good 
brandy  and  wine,  which  is  the  more  frequented  of  the  two. 
On  approaching  the  city,  the  soil  improves;  large  vegetable 
gardens  and  fields  of  lucern  and  maize  are  seen  ;  and  close 
to  the  city  walls  are  extensive  orchards  of  tropical  fruits,  all 
irrigated  by  canals  from  the  river  Rimac.  The  gateway  is  a 
tripple  arch  of  brick,  stuccoed,  with  cornices,  mouldings, 
and  pillars  of  stone.  The  dilapidated  insignia  of  the  crown 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  671 


of  Spain,  over  the  gate,  now  serve  as  an  emblem  of  the  fall  of 
its  empire. 

Immediately  on  passing  the  gateway,  the  stranger  is  struck 
with  the  contrast  which  the  interior  of  the  city  presents  to 
the  grandeur  of  the  approach  and  distant  view.  He  finds 
himself  in  a  long,  dirty  street  of  low  houses,  with  small  shops, 
having  their  goods  placed  on  tables  at  the  doors, — no  glass  win 
dows,  no  display  of  articles  of  commerce, — the  people  of  all 
colors,  from  the  black  African  to  the  white  and  florid  Biscayan. 
In  some  parts  of  the  city,  however,  are  to  be  seen  a  number  of 
smart  shops,  exhibiting  a  rich  display  of  French  silks  and 
jewelry,  and  British  goods  of  every  description.  The  Eng 
lish  costume  is  now  quite  prevalent  in  Lima,  mingled  with 
the  French  ;  while  the  fair  Limenas  have  a  dress  peculiar  to 
themselves.  Everywhere,  the  streets  are  full  of  bustle  ;  and 
when  a  church  procession  or  some  other  object  of  interest 
draws  together  the  various  classes  of  the  population,  in  some 
of  the  public  squares,  the  groups  which  are  formed,  present 
altogether  a  motley  and  extraordinary  appearance,  well  de 
scribed  by  Mr.  Mathison.  "  Priests,  in  rich  sacerdotal  vest 
ments ;  friars,  of  various  orders,  Franciscan,  Benedictine, 
Dominican,  and  others,  many  of  whose  portly  persons  and 
ruddy  countenances  belie  the  austerity  of  their  profession ; 
men  dressed  up  as  nuns,  with  black  veils  and  masks,  selling 
little  waxen  images  of  the  Virgin;  women  of  all  classes, — 
some  in  shawls  and  hats,  others  with  the  showy  saya  (petti 
coat)  and  black  silk  manto,  so  put  on  as  carefully  to  conceal 
the  face  and  expose  the  person  ;  blacks  and  mulattoes,  male 
and  female;  arid  Indians,  whose  squalid,  hideous  features 
bear  no  resemblance  to  the  pictures  which  imagination  is 
wont  to  draw  of  their  ancestors,  '  the  gentle  children  of  the 
sun  ;  '  loaded  mules  and  asses,  with  their  attendant  peons, 
just  arrived  from  the  port ;  country  Creoles  of  both  sexes,  on 
horseback,  mounted  and  equipped  alike:  carriages  (here 
termed  valencins)  made  and  painted  in  the  Spanish  fashion, 
and  filled  with  smartly  dressed  ladies,  their  black  servants  and 
postilions,  bedecked  in  the  most  tawdry  liveries ;  cavaliers 
of  all  nations,  and  patriot  officers  in  gay  uniforms, — some  on 
foot,  courting  the  attention  of  the  fair  beholders,  others 
showing  off  the  paces  of  their  prancing  steeds  ;  venders  of 
ice  and  chica,  (a  favorite  Peruvian  drink  ;)  beggars,  im 
ploring  alms  in  the  name  of  the  Virgin  and  all  the  saints  of  the 


672  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


Romish  calendar ; — these,  and  other  innumerable  objects, 
during  the  procession,  and  for  some  hours  afterwards,  con 
tribute  to  enliven  and  diversify  the  scene."* 

The  great  square  of  Lima  is  an  elevation  of  480  feet 
above  the  sea.  The  figure  of  the  city  is  described  by  Alce- 
do  as  triangular.  Mr.  Stevenson  says,  it  approaches  to  a 
semicircle,  having  the  river  for  its  diameter.  It  is  two  miles 
long, from  east  to  west,  and  one  and  a  quarter  broad,  from 
the  bridge  to  the  wall.  It  is,  for  the  most  part,  divided  into 
squares,  ( quadras  J  of  which  there  are  157;  and  there  are 
said  to  be  355  streets,  all  built  at  right  angles,  and  generally 
about  twenty-five  feet  wide.  Those  running  east  and  west 
have  a  small  stream  of  water  flowing  down  them  ;  and  the 
Rimac  passes  through  a  part  of  the  town.  On  the  other  side 
of  the  river  is  the  suburb  of  San  Lazaro,  which  is  inhabited 
by  the  less  respectable  part  of  the  community.  Lima  is 
stated  to  contain  nearly  4,000  houses,  four  large  monasteries, 
with  numerous  dependent  convental  and  collegiate  establish 
ments,  fifteen  nunneries,  and  four  beaterios  ;  and  a  population, 
probably  of  50,000  souls. 

The  city  received  from  Pizarro  the  name  of  Lios  Reyes, 
or  the  city  of  Kings.  It  is  surrounded  (except  towards  the 
river)  with  a  wall  of  sun-dried  bricks,  about  ten  feet  thick 
at  the  bottom,  and  eight  at  the  top,  forming  a  beautiful  prom 
enade  round  two  thirds  of  the  city.  Its  average  height  is 
twelve  feet,  with  a  parapet  of  three  feet.  It  is  flanked  with 
thirty-four  bastions,  but  without  embrasures.  There  are 
seven  gates,  and  three  posterns,  which  are  closed  every  night 
at  eleven,  and  opened  at  four,  A.  M.  This  wall  of  enclosure, 
rather  than  of  defence,  was  built  by  the  Viceroy,  the  Duke 
de  la  Palata,  in  1085,  and  repaired  in  1808.  At  the  south 
eastern  extremity  of  the  city  is  a  small  citadel,  called  Santa 
Catalina,  in  which  are  the  artillery  barracks  and  a  military 
depot. 

The  plnca  mayor  or  principal  square,  has,  on  the  eastern 
side,  the  cathedral,  a  very  handsome  pile  ;  to  the  north  of 
which  is  the  sntrrario,  or  principal  parish  church,  having  a 
very  beautiful  fa£ade  ;  and  adjoining  it  is  the  archiepiscopal 
palace,  which  surpasses  in  appearance  every  other  building 
in  the  square.  Green  balconies  run  along  the  front,  on 

*  Mathison's  Visit  to  Brazil,  Chili,  and  Peru. 


43 


674  TRAVELS    AND    SKKTCIfES 


each  side  of  an  arched  gateway  leading  into  the  patio;  hut 
the  lower  part  is  disgraced  with  a  row  of  small  shops,  the 
nearest  one  to  the  sagrario  being  a  puljjeriat( grog-shop.) 
Under  the  area  of  the  cathedral,  which  is  ten  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  square,  there  is  also  a  range  of  shops.  On  the 
north  side  is  the  Viceroy's  palace,  the  lower  part  of  which 
is  in  like  manner  concealed  by  a  range  of  shops  and  stalls; 
and  over  these  runs  a  long  gallery  with  tiers  of  seats  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  inhabitants  when  there  is  any  fete 
in  the  square.  At  the  north-western  corner  is  a  gallery  for 
the  family  of  the  Viceroy,  which, on  days  of  ceremony,  was 
fitted  up  with  green  velvet  hangings.  The  south  side  of 
the  square  is  formed  by  a  row  of  private  houses,  but  with  an 
arcade  or  piazza  in  front,  occupied  with  the  shops  of  dra 
pers  and  mercers.  On  the  north  side  is  the  cabildo,  or 
town  hall,  a  building  very  much  in  the  Chinese  style  ;  and 
under  it  is  the  city  jail.  In  the  centre  of  the  square 
is  a  beautiful  brass  fountain,  erected  in  1653,  the  water 
of  which  is  the  best  in  Lima  ;  and  at  all  hours  of  the 
day,  water-carriers  are  busily  employed  in  conveying  it 
to  all  parts  of  the  city.  In  this  square  is  held  the  principal 
market. 

The  interior  of  the  cathedral  is  very  rich.  The  walls  and 
floor  are  of  good  freestone,  and  the  roof,  which  is  beautiful 
ly  pannelled  and  carved  in  compartments,  is  supported  by 
arches  springing  from  a  double  row  of  neat  square  pillars  of 
stone  work.  All  these,  on  festivals,  are  covered  with  hang 
ings  of  crimson  velvet,  fringed  with  the  richest  gold  lace; 
but  in  Passion  week,  purple  velvet  hangings  are  substituted. 
The  high  altar  has  a  most  magnificent  appearance.  It  is  of 
the  Corinthian  order;  the  columns,  cornices,  and  mouldings 
are  cased  with  pure  silver  ;  and  over  it  is  a  celestial  crown 
of  silver  gilt ;  the  sacrorium  in  the  centre  is  richly  orna 
mented  with  chased  silver-work.  The  custodium  is  of  gold, 
delicately  wrought,  and  enriched  with  a  profusion  of  dia 
monds  and  other  precious  stones :  from  the  pedestal  to  the 
points  of  the  rays,  it  measures  seven  feet,  and  is  too  heavy 
to  be  lifted  by  a  person  of  ordinary  strength.  The  front  of 
the  altar  table  is  of  embossed  silver,  very  beautiful.  The 
front  of  the  choir  is  closed  by  tastefully  wrought  palisades  of 
iron,  gilt,  with  large  gates  of  the  same.  The  stalls  are  of 
carved  cedar.  There  are  two  organs  of  fine  tone,  and  the 


IN    SOUTH    AMERICA.  675 


choral  music  is  very  good.  On  grand  festivals,  the  coup  d'reil 
is  very  imposing.  The  high  altar  is  then  illuminated  with 
more  than  a  thousand  wax  tapers.  '  The  large  silver  candel 
abra,  each  weighing  upwards  of  a  hundred  pounds,  the  su 
perb  silver  branches  and  lamps,  and  the  splendid  service  of 
plate  on  the  left  of  the  altar,  have  a  most  magnificent  effect. 

The  archbishop,  in  his  costly  pontifical  robes,  is  seen 
kneeling  under  a  canopy  of  crimson  velvet,  with  a  reclina- 
tory  and  cushions  of  the  same  material.  A  number  of  assist 
ing  priests,  in  their  robes  of  ceremony,  fill  the  presbytery ; 
next  to  which,  leading  towards  the  choir,  are  seats  covered 
with  velvet,  on  the  left  for  the  officers  of  state  and  the  cor 
poration,  on  the  right  for  the  judges,  who  attend  in  full  cos 
tume.  In  the  centre,  in  front  of  the  altar,  a  state  chair 
covered  with  crimson  velvet  was  appropriated  to  the  Viceroy, 
when  he  attended  in  state,  having  on  each  side,  three  halber 
diers  of  his  body-guard  ;  while  behind  him  stood  his  chaplain, 
chamberlain,  groom,  the  captain  of  the  body-guard,  and  four 
pages  in  waiting.  Three  times  during  mass,  one  of  the  aco- 
lites  used  to  descend  from  the  presbytery  with  a  censer,  and 
bow  to  the  Viceroy,  who  stood  up  amid  a  cloud  of  smoke  :  the 
acolite  bowed  as  he  retired,  and  the  Viceroy  again  knelt  down. 

At  the  back  of  the  high  altar  is  a  chapel  dedicated  to  St. 
Francis  Xavier,  in  which  are  effigies  of  two  archbishops  in 
white  marble,  kneeling.  This  chapel  is  the  vault  where  the 
archbishops  of  Lima  were  formerly  buried  ;  but  it  is  now 
closed,  and  the  bodies  of  the  primates  are  at  present  carried 
to  the  Pantheon,  the  common  burial-place,  where  the  first 
corpse  interred  was  that  of  Archbishop  La  Reguera,  which 
was  exhumed  for  the  purpose. 

The  interior  of  the  sagrario  is  very  splendid.  The  roof 
is  lofty  and  beautifully  pannelled,  and  in  the  centre  is  a  cu 
pola  resting  upon  the  four  corners  formed  by  the  intersec 
tion  of  the  cross  aisle.  The  part  of  the  high  altars  are  splen 
didly  carved,  varnished  and  gilt.  Great  part  of  the  high  al 
tar  is  cased  with  silver,  and  the  custodium  is  of  gold,  richly 
set  with  diamonds  and  gems.  The  foot  is  incased  with 
silver. 

The  parish  churches  of  Lima  have  nothing  to  recommend 
them  to  particular  notice.  Of  the  conventual  churches, 
those  belonging  to  the  principal  houses  are  remarkably  rich. 
That  of  San  Domingo,  about  100  yards  from  the  placa  may 
or,  is  truly  magnificent,  and  its  tower  is  the  loftiest  in  the 


676  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


city  It  is  about  180  feet  high,  built  chiefly  of  bajarcquc, 
(wood  work  and  plaster.)  The  roof  of  the  church  is  support 
ed  by  a  double  row  of  light  pillars,  painted  and  gilt,  the  ceil 
ing  is  divided  into  pannels  by  gilt  mouldings,  and  the  large 
central  pannels  exhibit  some  good  paintings  in  fresco.  The 
high  altar  is  ornamented  with  Ionic  columns  varnished  in 
imitation  of  marble,  with  gilt  capitals  and  mouldings.  At 
the  foot  of  the  presbytery,  on  the  right,  stands  the  silver  al 
tar  of  our  Lady  of  the  Rosary.  This  altar,  Mr.  Stephenson 
says,  exceeds  any  other  in  Lima,  both  in  richness  and  ef 
fect.  It  is  entirely  covered  with  pure  silver.  Its  elegant 
fluted  columns,  highly-finished  embossed  pedestals,  capitals, 
and  cornices,  some  of  them  doubly  gilt,  are  superb.  In  the 
centre  of  the  altar  is  the  niche  of  the  Madonna,  of  exquisite 
workmanship  :  the  interior  contains  a  transparent  painting 
of  a  temple,  the  light  being  admitted  to  it  by  a  window  at 
the  back  of  the  altar.  The  efligy  is  gorgeously  dressed  ;  the 
crown  is  a  cluster  of  diamonds  and  other  precious  gems, 
and  the  drapery  is  of  the  richest  brocades,  laces,  and  em 
broidery  ;  the  rosary  is  a  string  of  large  pearls  of  the  finest 
orient.  Such  is  the  abundance,  or  rather  profusion,  of 
drapery,  that  the  same  dress  is  never  continued  two  days  to 
gether  throughout  the  year. 

Before  the  niche,  fifteen  large  wax  tapers  are  .continually 
burning  in  silver  sockets;  and  in  a  semicircle  before  the  al 
tar  are  suspended  by  massive  silver  chains,  curiously  wrought, 
fourteen  large,  heavy  lamps,  kept  constantly  lighted,  with 
olive  oil.  Besides  these,  are,  similarly  suspended,  eight 
fancifully  wrought  silver  bird-cages,  whose  inmates,  in  thrill 
ing  notes,  join  the  peeling  tones  of  the  organ  and  the  sacred 
chants  of  divine  worship.  Four  splendid  silver  chandeliers 
hang  opposite  the  altar,  each  containing  fifteen  wax  tapers; 
below  are  ranged  six  heavy  silver  candelabra,  six  feet  high, 
and  six  tables  cased  in  silver,  each  supporting  a  large  silver 
branch  with  seven  tapers ;  also  four  urns  of  the  same  pre 
cious  metal,  filled  with  perfumed  spirits,  which  are  always 
burning  on  festivals,  and  emit  scents  from  the  most  costly 
drugs  and  spices ;  the  whole  being  surrounded  with  fuming 
pastillas,  held  by  silver  cherubim.  On  those  days  when  the 
festivals  of  the  Virgin  Mary  are  celebrated,  and  particularly 
at  the  feast  of  the  Rosary,  the  sumptuous  appearance  of  this 
altar  exceeds  all  description  :  at  that  time,  during  nine  days, 
more  than  a  thousand  tapers  blaze,  and  the  chanting  and 
music  of  the  choir  are  uninterrupted.  At  the  celebration 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  677 


of  these  feasts,  many  miracles  are  pretended  to  be  wrought 
by  the  Madonna,  and  many  absurd  legends  are  related  from 
the  pulpit. 

On  the  left  of  the  high  altar  stands  one  dedicated  to  Saint 
Rose  ;  it  is  highly  ornamented,  and  has  a  large  urn  contain 
ing  an  effigy  of  the  saint,  in  a  reclining  posture,  of  white 
marble  and  good  sculpture.  On  each  side  of  the  church  are 
six  altars,  colored  and  varnished  in  imitation  of  different 
marbles,  lapis  lazuli,  &c.,  with  gilt  mouldings,  cornices,  and 
other  embellishments.  The  choir  is  over  the  entrance  at  the 
principal  porch  ;  it  is  capacious,  arid  has  two  good  organs. 
The  music  belonging  to  the  church,  is  all  painted  on  vellum 
by  a  lay  brother  of  the  order  ;  and  some  of  the  books  are 
ably  done.  Three  of  the  cloisters  are  very  good  ;  the  prin 
cipal  one  is  elegant ;  it  has  two  ranges  of  cells,  and  the  pil 
lars  and  arches  are  of  stone,  of  fine  workmanship.  The 
lower  part  of  the  walls  is  covered  with  Dutch  tiles,  exhibiting 
sketches  from  the  life  of  St.  Dominick,  &/c.  Above  are 
large  indifferently-executed  paintings  of  the  life  and  mira 
cles  of  the  tutelary  saints  :  they  are  generally  concealed  by 
pannelled  shutters,  which  are  opened  on  holidays,  and  festi 
vals.  At  the  angles  of  this  cloister  are  small  altars,  with  busts 
and  effigies,  most  of  them  in  bad  style.  The  lower  cloisters 
are  paved  with  freestone  flags ;  the  upper  ones  with  bricks. 
Some  of  the  cells  are  richly  furnished,  and  display  more  deli 
cate  attention  to  luxury  than  rigid  observance  of  monastic 
austerity.  The  library  contains  a  great  number  of  books  on 
theology  and  morality.  On  the  wall  of  the  stairs  leading  from 
the  cloister  to  the  choir  is  a  fine  painting  of  Christ  in  the 
sepulchre.  The  rents  of  this  convent  amount  to  about 
80,000  dollars  annually.  Belonging  to  this  order  is  the  sanc 
tuary  of  Saint  Rose,  she  having  been  a  bcata  or  devotee  of 
the  order.  In  the  small  chapel  are  several  relics  of  the 
saint.* 

We  shall  not  attempt  a  minute  description  of  the  churches, 
chapels,  convents  and  hospitals  of  Lima.  They  are  quite 
numerous,  and  in  some  of  the  former  there  is  great. display 
of  ornaments  and  paintings.  Some  of  the  latter  are  said  to 
be  beautiful. 

The  University  of  Lima  was  founded  in  1749,  by  a  bull  of 
Pius  V.  It  is  a  handsome  building,  with  several  good  halls 

*  Stevenson's  Twenty  Years  Residence  in  South  America 


678  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


and  an  extensive  library.  Besides  the  university  there  are 
several  colleges — the  royal  college  of  San  Carlo*,  founded 
by  the  Jesuits  for  secular  studies;  the  college  Del  Principe, 
where  young  Indian  caciques  are  educated  for  the  church; 
the  medical  college  of  San  Fernando,  the  college  of  San 
Toribio,  an  ecclesiastical  seminary  ;  and  a  nautical  academy 
in  what  was  the  palace  of  the  Viceroy.  The  respective  cos 
tumes  of  the  collegians  are  not  a  little  singular.  The  dress 
of  the  students  of  San  Carlos  is  a  full  suit  of  black,  with  a 
cocked  hat  and  dress  sword ;  that  of  Del  Principe  is  a  full 
suit  of  green, with  a  crimson  shoulder  ribbon,  and  also  a 
cocked  hat;  that  of  San  Fernando  is  a  full  suit  of  blue, with 
yellow  buttons  and  collar  trimmed  with  gold  lace  ;  and  that  of 
San  Toribio,  an  almond-colored  gown,  (called -the  ojja,)  very- 
wide  at  the  bottom,  and  made  like  a  poncho,  with  a  scarf  of 
pale  blue  cloth,  and  a  square  bonnet  of  black  cloth. 

The  preceding  description,  for  which  we  are  indebted  to 
the  volumes  of  Mr.  Stevenson,  will  give  an  idea  of  what  Li 
ma  was  in  the  days  of  its  wealth  and  pride,  when  it  was  the 
richest  city  of  South  America.  This  traveller  arrived  in 
that  city,  in  1811,  during  the  viceroyalty  of  Abascal ;  and 
during  his  stay  there,  the  act  of  the  Cortes  was  received, 
abolishing  the  Inquisition.  A  short  time  before,  he  had 
been  cited  before  that  dread  tribunal  for  rashly  engaging 
in  a  dispute  with  a  Dominican  friar  ;  he  had  now  the  op 
portunity  of  paying  a  second  visit,  under  very  different 
circumstances,  in  company  with  some  friends  who  had  ob 
tained  the  Viceroy's  permission  to  explore  the  empty  den 
of  the  monster.  His  account  of  the  visit  must  not  be  sup 
pressed. 

"The  doors  of  the  hall  being  opened,  many  entered,  who 
were  not  invited,  and  seeing  nothing  in  a  posture  of  defence, 
the  first  victims  to  our  fury  were  the  tables  and  chairs : 
these  were  soon  demolished  ;  after  which  some  persons  laid 
hold  of  the  velvet  curtains  of  the  canopy,  and  dragged  them 
so  forcibly,  that  canopy  and  crucifix  came  down  with  a  hor 
rid  crash.  The  crucifix  was  rescued  from  the  ruins  of  in 
quisitorial  state,  and  its  head  was  discovered  to  be  movea- 
ble.  A  ladder  was  found  to  have  been  secreted  behind  the 
canopy,  and  thus  the  whole  mystery  of  this  miraculous  im 
age  became  explained  :  a  man  was  concealed  on  the  ladder 
by  the  curtains  of  the  canopy,  and  by  introducing  his  hand 
through  a  hole,  he  moved  the  head,  so  as  to  make  it  not  con 
sent  or  shake  dissent.  In  how  many  instances  may  ap- 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  679 


peals  to  this  imposture  have  caused  an  innocent  man  to  own 
himself  guilty  of  crimes  he  never  dreamed  of!  Overawed 
by  fear,  and  condemned  as  was  believed  by  a  miracle,  false 
hood  would  supply  the  place  of  truth  ;  and  innocence,  if 
timid,  confess  itself  sinful.  Every  one  was  now  exasperated 
with  rage,  and  '  there  are  yet  victims  in  the  cells,'  was  uni 
versally  murmured.  'A  search!  a  search!'  was  the  cry, 
and  the  door  leading  to  the  interior  was  quickly  broken 
through.  The  next  we  found  was  called  del  secrcto :  the 
word  secret  stimulated  curiosity,  and  the  door  was  instantly 
burst  open.  It  led  to  the  archives.  Here  were  heaped  upon 
shelves,  papers  containing  the  written  cases  of  those  who 
had  been  accused  or  tried  ;  and  here  I  read  the  name  of  many 
a  friend,  who  little  imagined  that  his  conduct  had  been  scruti 
nized  by  the  holy  tribunal,  or  that  his  name  had  been  recorded 
in  so  awful  a  place.  Some  who  were  present,  discovered 
their  own  names  on  the  rack,  and  pocketed  the  papers.  I 
put  aside  fifteen  cases,  and  took  them  home  with  me  ;  but 
they  were  not  of  great  importance.  Four  for  blasphemy, 
bore  a  sentence,  which  was  three  months'  seclusion  in  aeon- 
vent,  a  general  confession,  and  different  penances — all  se 
cret.  The  others  were  accusations  of  friars,  solicitantes  in 
confessione,  two  of  whom  I  knew,  and,  though  some  danger 
attended  the  disclosure,  I  told  them  afterwards  what  I  had 
seen.  Prohibited  books  in  abundance  were  in  the  room,  and 
many  found  future  owners.  To  our  great  surprise,  we  met  with 
a  quantity  of  printed  cotton  handkerchiefs.  These,  alas  !  had 
incurred  the  displeasure  of  the  Inquisition,  because  a  figure 
of  religion,  holding  a  chalice  in  one  hand,  arid  across  in  the 
other,  was  stamped  in  the  centre  ;  placed  there,  perhaps,  by 
some  unwary  manufacturer,  who  thought  such  a  devout  in 
signia  would  insure  purchasers,  but  who  forgot  the  heinous- 
ness  of  blowing  the  nose  or  spitting  upon  the  cross.  To 
prevent  such  a  crime,  this  religious  tribunal  had  taken  the 
wares  by  wholesale,  omitting  to  pay  their  value  to  the  owner, 
who  might  consider  himself  fortunate  in  not  having  his  shop 
removed  to  the  sacred  house.  Leaving  this  room,  we  forced 
our  way  into  another,  which,  to  our  astonishment  and  in 
dignation,  was  that  of  torture.  In  the  centre  stood  a  strong 
table,  about  eight  feet  long  and  seven  feet  broad  ;  at  one  end  of 
which  was  an  iron  collar,  opening  in  the  middle  horizontal 
ly,  for  the  reception  of  the  neck  of  the  victim  ;  on  each  side 
of  the  collar  were  also  thick  straps  with  buckles,  for  inclosing 
the  arms  near  to  the  body  ;  and  on  the  sides  of  the  table  were 


680  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

LIMA. 

leather  straps  with  buckles  for  the  wrists,  connected  with 
cords  under  the  table,  made  fast  to  the  axle  of  an  horizontal 
wheel ;  at  the  other  end  were  two  more  straps  for  the  ankles, 
with  ropes  similarly  fixed  to  the  wheels.  Thus  it  was  obvi 
ous,  that  a  human  being  might  be  extended  on  the  table,  and, 
by  turning  the  wheel,  might  be  stretched  in  both  directions 
at  the  same  time,  without  any  risk  of  hanging  ;  for  that  ef 
fect  was  prevented  by  the  two  straps  under  his  arms  close  to 
the  body  ;  but  every  joint  might  be  dislocated.  Alter  we  had 
discovered  the  diabolical  use  of  this  piece  of  machinery, 
every  one  shuddered,  and  involuntarily  looked  towards  the 
door,  as  if  apprehensive  that  it  would  close  upon  him.  At 
first,  curses  were  muttered,  but  they  were  soon  changed  into 
loud  imprecations  against  the  inventors  and  practisers  of  such 
torments;  and  blessings  were  showered  on  the  Cortes  for 
having  abolished  this  tribunal  of  arch  tyranny.  We  next  ex 
amined  a  vertical  pillory,  placed  against  the  wall ;  it  had  one 
large  and  two  smaller  holes;  on  opening  it,  by  lifting  up  the 
one  half,  we  perceived  apertures  in  the  wall,  and  the  pur 
poses  of  the  machine  were  soon  ascertained.  An  offender 
having  his  neck  and  wrists  secured  in  the  holes  of  the  pil 
lory,  and  his  head  and  hands  hidden  in  the  wall,  could  be 
flogged  by  the  lay  brothers  of  St.  Dominick  without  being 
known  by  them  ;  and  thus  any  accidental  discovery  was 
avoided.  Scourges  of  different  materials  were  hanging  on 
the  wall ;  some  of  knotted  cord,  not  a  few  of  which  were 
hardened  with  blood  ;  others  were  of  w  ire  chain,  with  points 
and  rowels  like  those  of  spurs;  these,  too,  were  clotted  with 
blood.  We  also  found  tormentors,  made  of  netted  wire, 
the  points  of  every  mesh  projecting  about  one  eighth  of  an  inch 
inward,  the  outside  being  covered  with  leather,  and  having 
strings  to  tie  them  on.  Some  of  these  tormentors  were  of  a 
suflicient  size  for  the  waist,  others  for  the  thighs,  the  legs, 
and  arms.  The  walls  were  likewise  adorned  with  shirts  of 
horsehair,  which  could  not  be  considered  as  a  very  comfort 
able  habit  after  a  severe  flagellation  ;  with  human  bones, 
having  a  string  at  each  end,  to  gag  those  who  made  too  free 
a  use  of  their  tongues;  and  with  nippers,  made  of  cane,  for 
the  same  purpose.  These  nippers  consisted  of  two  slips  of 
cane,  tied  at  the  ends;  by  opening  in  the  middle  when  they 
were  put  into  the  mouth,  and  fastened  behind  the  head,  in 
the  same  mariner  as  the  bones,  they  pressed  forcibly  upon 
the  tongue.  In  a  drawer  were  a  great  many  finger-screws; 
they  were  small  semicircular  pieces  of  iron,  in  the  form  of 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  681 


crescents,  having  a  screw  at  one  end,  so  that  they  could  be 
fixed  on  the  fingers,  and  screwed  to  any  degree,  even  till  the 
nails  were  crushed  and  the  bones  broken.  On  viewing  these 
implements  of  torture,  who  could  find  an  excuse  for  the  mon 
sters,  who  would  use  them  to  establish  the  faith  which  was 
taught,  by  precept  and  example,  by  the  mild,  the  meek,  the 
holy  Jesus  !  May  he  who  would  not  curse  them  in  the  bit 
terness  of  wrath,  fall  into  their  merciless  hands  !  The  rack 
and  the  pillory  were  soon  demolished  ;  for  such  was  the  fury 
of  more  than  a  hundred  persons,  who  had  gained  admittance, 
that,  had  they  been  constructed  of  iron,  they  could  not  have 
resisted  the  violence  and  determination  ofthe  assailants.  In 
one  corner  stood  a  wooden  horse,  painted  white  :  it  was  con 
ceived  to  be  another  instrument  of  torture,  and  was  instantly 
broken  to  pieces  ;  but  1  was  afterwards  informed,  that  a  vic 
tim  ofthe  Inquisition,  who  had  been  burnt  at  the  stake,  was 
subsequently  declared  innocent  of  the  charges  preferred 
against  him  ;  when,  as  an  atonement  for  his  death,  his  inno 
cence  was  publicly  announced,  and  his  effigy  dressed  in 
white,  and  mounted  on  this  horse,  was  paraded  ahout  the 
streets  of  Lima.  Some  said,  that  the  individual  suffered  in 
Spain,  and  that,  by  a  decree  of  the  inquisitor-general,  this 
farce  was  performed  in  every  part  ofthe  Spanish  dominions, 
where  a  tribunal  existed.  We  proceeded  to  the  cells,  but 
found  them  all  open  arid  empty  :  they  were  small,  but  not 
uncomfortable  as  places  of  confinement.  Some  had  a  small 
yard  attached  ;  others  more  solitary,  had  none.  The  last 
person  known  to  have  been  confined  was  a  naval  officer,  an 
Andalusian,  *who  was  exiled  in  1812,  to  Boca  China." 

Lima  has  a  general  cemetery  called  the  Pantheon,  situated 
on  the  outside  ofthe  walls  ;  it  is  sufficiently  large  to  contain 
all  the  dead  bodies  for  six  years  without  removal  :  when  this 
becomes  necessary,  the  bones  are  taken  out  of  the  niches, 
and  placed  in  the  osariums.  Many  ofthe  rich  families  have 
purchased  allotments  for  family  vaults,  having  their  names 
inscribed  above.  The  building  is  a  square  inclosure,  divided 
into  several  sections  :  in  the  walls  are  niches,  each  sufficient 
to  hold  a  corpse  ;  and  the  divisions  are  also  formed  by  double 
rows  of  niches,  built  one  above  another,  some  of  them  eight 
stories  high,  the  fronts  being  open.  The  walks  are  planted 
with  many  aromatics  and  evergreens.  In  the  centre  is  a 
small  chapel,  or  rather  altar  with  a  roof:  its  form  is  octagon- 


682  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


al,  so  that  eight  priests  can  celebrate  mass  at  the  same 
time.  The  corpse  is  put  into  the  niche  with  the  feet  fore 
most  ;  if  in  a  coffin,  which  seldom  happens,  except  among 
the  richer  classes,  the  lid  is  removed,  and  a  quantity  of  un- 
slacked  lime  being  thrown  on  each  body,  its  decay  is  very 
rapid.  For  the  conveyance  of  the  dead,  several  hearses,  of 
different  descriptions,  are  provided,  belonging  to  the  Pan 
theon  :  they  are  not  permitted  to  traverse  the  streets  after 
twelve  o'clock  in  the  day. 

Before  the  establishment  of  this  cemetery,  all  the  dead 
were  buried  in  the  churches,  or  rather,  placed  in  vaults,  many 
of  which  had  wooden  trap-doors,  opening  in  the  floors  ;  and, 
notwithstanding  the  plentiful  use  of  lime,  the  stench  and 
other  disgusting  effects  were  sometimes  almost  insufferable. 
When  the  first  nun  was  to  be  carried  to  the  Pantheon,  great 
opposition  was  made  by  the  sisterhood  ;  but  the  Viceroy  sent 
a  file  of  soldiers,  and  enforced  the  interment  of  the  corpse 
in  the  general  cemetery. 

At  the  entrance  of  the  burying-ground  is  a  chapel,  deco 
rated  with  an  image  of  our  Saviour,  in  the  sepulchre,  large 
as  life,  and  so  painted,  Mr.  Mathison  tellsus,  as  to  excite  in 
describable  horror.  English  feelings  cannot  be  easily  recon 
ciled  to  the  mode  of  burial  here  adopted  ;  and  the  loathsome 
effluvia  is  quite  sufficient  to  deter  from  my  lengthened  "  med 
itations  among  the  tombs."  Another  very  offensive  practice, 
which  is  very  common,  is  that  of  bringing  the  bodies  of  poor 
people,  whose  friends  cannot  afford  the  expenses  of  a  cof 
fin  and  regular  conveyance,  and  throwing  them  uncere 
moniously  over  the  walls  of  the  cemetery,  where  they  lie  un 
til  thepersons  in  attendance  are' prepared  to  bury  them.  In 
the  morning,  a  number  of  corpses  may  be  often  seen  exposed 
to  full  view  in  this  way,  as  if  they  were  no  better  than  dead 
dogs  or  cats.* 

Lima  has  been  proverbially  distinguished  for  the  luxury 
and  dissipation  of  its  citizens,  although,  as  to  the  degree  of 
vice  that  prevails,  testimonies  differ.  Lieutenant  Brand, 
who  visited  Lima  in  1827,  says,  "  The  priests  in  Lima  are 
disgusting.  Many  have  I  seen  absolutely  drunk  in  the 
streets  ;  and  I  wish  this  was  the  worst  thing  I  have  to  say  of 
them.  In  their  processions,  I  have  witnessed  scenes  shock 
ing  to  human  nature.  In  carrying  the  Virgin  Mary  through 
the  streets,  twelve  females,  supposed  to  be  virgins,  are  se- 

*  Mathison's  Visit,  &c. 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  683 


lected  to  carry  frankincense  before  her.  These  women  are 
now  generally  female  slaves  of  the  most  abandoned  descrip 
tion.  These  women  as  they  proceed  before  the  Virgin,  are 
screaming  and  hallooing  with  all  their  might,  at  the  same 
time  throwing  up  the  incense  to  her.  The  priests  are  sing 
ing  psalms,  and  I  have  seen  them,  in  many  of  these  proces 
sions,  absolutely  drunk  while  singing  their  psalms,  and,  be 
tween  every  verse,  laughing  and  talking  with  the  women. 
On  the  arrival  of  the  Virgin  at  the  church,  the  scene  becomes 
more  like  a  riot  than  a  religious  procession.  Being  once  in 
a  church  when  a  procession  entered,  I  could  not  imagine 
what  in  the  world  was  the  matter,  such  screaming,  halloo 
ing,  hooting,  and  roaring  as  I  never  heard  in  my  life,  were 
set  up  ;  immediately  the  Virgin  made  her  appearance.  The 
boys  outside  were  huzzaing  and  throwing  fireworks  within, 
which  occasioned  a  scene  of  tumult  impossible  to  describe. 
When  this  uproar  had  subsided  a  little,  a  beautiful  deep- 
toned  organ  vibrated  through  the  many  aisles  of  the  mag 
nificent  Santo  Domingo,  and  the  finest  sacred  music  I  ever 
heard  was  chanted  by  the  choir  of  singers.  Between  each 
cadence,  had  a  pin  dropped,  it  might  have  been  heard 
throughout  the  crowded  church,  which,  but  a  minute  before, 
was  all  uproar  and  confusion.  Alas !  as  I  came  away,  I 
could  not  but  think,  what  a  mixture  of  frenzy,  bigotry,  and 
mockery  of  religion  was  all  this!  '" 

As  regards  the  deference  of  the  people  for  the  clergy,  and 
their  reverence  for  the  rites  of  the  church,  a  considerable 
change  has  been  produced  by  the  revolution.  From  having 
formerly  submitted  to  the  most  absurd  bigotry  and  super 
stition,  even  so  far  as  to  kneel  in  the  streets  to  a  priest  pass 
ing,  some  of  the  rising  generation  are  inclined  to  scoff  at  re 
ligion,  and  ridicule  the  priesthood.  There  is,  probably,  not 
more  infidelity  or  irreligion  than  before,  but  it  can  now  more 
openly  discover  itself. 

"  The  general  aspect  of  the  houses  in  Lima,"  remarks 
Mr.  Stevenson,  "  is  novel  to  an  Englishman  on  his  first 
arrival.  Those  of  the  inferior  classes  have  but  one  floor, and 
none  exceed  two.  The  low  houses  have  a  mean  appearance, 
too,  from  their  having  no  windows  in  front.  If  the  front  be 
on  a  line  with  the  street,  they  have  only  a  door  ;  and  if  they 
have  a  small  court-yard,  ( patio J  a  large,  heavy  door  opens 
into  the  street.  Some  of  the  houses  of  the  richer  classes 

*  Brand's  Journal  of  a  Visit  to  Peru 


684  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 

LIMA. 

have  simply  the  ground  floor ;  but  there  is  a  patio  before 
the  house,  and  the  entrance  from  the  street  is  through  a 
heavy  arched  doorway,  with  coachhouse  on  one  side  ;  over 
this  is  a  small  room  with  a  balcony  and  trellis  windows  open 
ing  to  the  street.  Part  of  these  houses  have  neat  green  bal 
conies  in  front,  but  very  few  of  the  windows  are  glazed. 
Ilavi'ng  capacious  patios,  large  doors,  and  ornamented  win 
dows,  besides  painted  porticos  and  walls,  with  neat  corri 
dors,  their  appearance  from  the  street  is  exceedingly  hand 
some.  In  some,  there  is  a  prospect  of  a  garden  through  the 
small  glazed  folding  doors  of  two  or  three  apartments:  this 
garden  is  either  real  or  painted,  and  contributes  very  much 
to  enliven  the  scenery.  The  patios  in  summer  have  large 
awnings  drawn  over  them,  which  produce  an  agreeable  shade  ; 
but  the  flat  roofs,  without  any  ornaments  in  front,  present  an 
appearance  not  at  all  pleasing.  If  to  this  we  add  the  same 
ness  of  the  many  dead  walls  of  the  convenes  and  nunneries, 
some  of  the  streets  must  naturally  look  very  gloomy. 

"  The  outer  walls  of  the  houses  are  generally  built  of 
adobes  as  far  as  the  first  floor,  and  the  division  walls  are  al 
ways  formed  of  canes  plastered  over  on  each  side:  this  is 
called  quincha.  The  upper  story  is  made,  first  of  a  frame 
work  of  wood  ;  canes  are  afterwards  nailed  or  lashed  with 
leather  thongs  on  each  side  the  frame-work ;  they  are  then 
plastered  over,  and  the  walls  are  called  bajarcqiic.  These 
additions  so  considerably  increase  their  bulk,  that  they 
seem  to  be  composed  of  very  solid  materials,  both  with  re 
spect  to  the  thickness  which  they  exhibit,  and  the  cornices 
and  other  ornaments  which  adorn  them.  Porticos,  arches, 
mouldings,  &,c.,  at  the  doorways,  are  generally  formed  of 
the  same  materials.  Canes  bound  together  and  covered 
with  clay,  are  substituted  also  for  pillars,  as  well  as  for  other 
architectural  ornaments,  some  of  which,  being  well  executed 
and  colored  like  stone,  a  stranger,  at  first  sight,  easily  sup 
poses  them  to  be  built  of  the  materials  they  are  intended  to 
imitate.  The  roofs,  being  flat,  are  constructed  of  rafters 
laid  across  and  covered  with  cane,  or  cane  mats,  with  a  lay 
er  of  clay,  sufficient  to  intercept  the  rays  of  the  sun,  and  to 
guard  against  the  fogs.  Many  of  the  better  sort  of  houses 
have  the  roofs  covered  with  large,  thin  baked  bricks,  on 
which  the  inhabitants  can  walk.  These  atotcas  (as  they 
are  called)  are  very  useful,  and  are  often  overspread  with 
flowers  and  plants  in  pots  :  they  also  serve  for  drying  clothes 
and  other  similar  purposes.  Among  the  higher  classes,  the 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  685 


ceilings  are  generally  of  pannel  work,  ornamented  with  a 
profusion  of  carving;  but  among  the  lower,  they  are  often 
of  a  coarse  cotton  cloth,  nailed  to  the  rafters,  and  white- 
Washed,  or  painted  in  imitation  of  pannel  work.  In  sev 
eral  of  the  meaner,  however,  the  canes  or  mats  are  visible. 

"  Some  of  the  churches  have  their  principal  walls  and  pil 
lars  of  stone  ;  others  of  adobes  and  bajarequc.  The  towers 
are  generally  of  the  latter  work,  bound  together  with  large 
beams  of  Guayaquil  wood  ;  the  spires  are  commonly  of  wood 
work,  cased  over  with  planks,  and  painted  in  imitation  of 
stone,  with  mouldings,  cornices,  and  other  ornaments,  either 
of  wood  or  stucco.  In  large  buildings  of  every  description, 
there  is  generally  a  great  proportion  of  timber,  keeping  up  a 
connection  from  the  foundation  to  the  roof;  thus,  there  is 
less  danger  from  the  shocks  of  earthquakes,  than  if  they 
were  built  of  brick  or  more  solid  materials;  for  the  whole 
building  yields  to  the  motion,  and  the  foundation  being  com 
bined  with  the  roof  and  other  parts,  the  whole  moves  at  the 
same  time,  and  is  not  so  easily  thrown  down." 

The  streets  of  Lima  are  paved,  but  badly  lighted,  and  are 
patrolled  by  watchmen  who  vociferate  "  Ave  Maria  puris- 
si  ma!  Viva  la  Patria!  "  and  a  serene,  or  cloudy  sky. 
The  shallow  stream  of  water,  two  feet  in  width,  which  runs 
through  the  centre  of  the  principal  streets,  contributes  much 
to  carry  off  impurities.  In  the  less  frequented  parts  of 
the  city,  however,  the  eye  is  offended  by  unsightly  proofs 
of  the  total  inattention  of  the  police  to  general  cleanliness. 
Lieutenant  Brand  describes  Lima  as  the  dirtiest  city  in 
South  America.  The  servants  who  are  principally  slaves, 
will  come  to  the  stream  of  water  that  runs  through  the 
middle,  and  wash  fish,  leaving  the  entrails  on  the  sides  rot 
ting  in  the  sun,  until  they  are  devoured  by  immense  birds, 
called  turkey  buzzards,  that  are  constantly  to  be  seen  de 
vouring  the  various  nuisances  with  which  the  streets  are  .in 
fested. * 

Lima  enjoys  one  of  the  most  delightful  climates  in  the 
world.  To  persons,  at  least,  who  have  been  accustomed  to 

*  Lieutenant  Maw,  on  the  other  hand,  says,  the  principal  streets  are 
clean,  and  appeared  to  be  swept  every  morning.  Lieutenant  Brand, 
was  sadly  annoyed  by  the  prevailing  uncleanness.  The  men  of  Lima 
he  describes  as  dirty  and  indolent  beyond  all  others  in  South  America, 
smoking  from  morning  till  night;  and  the  public  offices  he  always 
found  filled  with  smoke,  and  the  floors  disgustingly  dirty. 


686  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


the  scorching  sun  and  suffocating  heat  of  Bahia,  on  the  op 
posite  side  of  the  continent,  or  to  those  of  Carthagena,  the 
mild  and  equable  climate  of  Lima,  Mr.  Stevenson  says,  is 
as  surprising  as  it  is  agreeable.  The  heat  of  the  sun  in 
summer  is  mitigated  by  a  canopy  of  clouds,  which  constant 
ly  hangs  over  Lima  ;  arid  although  not  perceptible  from  the 
city,  yet,  when  seen  from  an  elevated  situation  in  the  moun 
tains,  they  appear,  somewhat  like  the  smoke  floating  in  the 
atmosphere  of  large  towns  where  coal  is  burned.  During 
the  winter  months,  from  April  or  May  to  November,  damp 
fogs  (called  garuas)  almost  constantly  prevail,  which  chill 
the  air,  and  moisten  the  ground  sufficiently  to  render  the  pave 
ment  slippery  ;  and  during  the  other  part  of  the  year,  they 
take  place  at  the  changes  of  the  moon.  These  mists  arise 
with  the  morning  breeze,  which  blows  from  the  westward  ; 
and  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  during  the  summer,  they  are 
dissipated  by  the  sun's  power.  In  the  evening,  a  south-east 
erly  land  breeze  brings  them  again  forward.  During  the 
winter  months,  the  sun  is  often  obscured  for  several  succeed 
ing  days.  While  the  valley  of  the  Rirnac  is  thus  kept  in 
the  most  fertile  state  by  these  wet  fogs,  the  rain  falls  with 
great  violence  in  the  neighboring  sierra,  accompanied  with 
much  thunder.  This  peculiarity  of  climate  is  confined  to 
those  parts  of  Lower  Peru  where  the  Cordilleras  approach 
the  Pacific.  At  Guayaquil,  on  the  contrary,  where  the  dis 
tance  between  the  mountains  and  the  sea  is  considerable, 
the  rains  are  heavy,  and  mists  of  rare  occurrence. 

Although  Lima  is  free  from  the  terrific  visitation  of 
storms,  it  is  subject  to  the  still  more  dreadful  phenomena  of 
earthquakes.  Shocks  are  felt  every  year,  particularly  after 
the  mists  disperse,  and  the  summer  sun  begins  to  heat  the 
earth.  They  are  commonly  felt  two  or  three  hours  after 
sunset,  or  a  little  before  sunrise;  and  their  direction  has 
generally  been  from  south  to  north.  The  most  violent 
have  taken  place  at  intervals  of  about  fifty  years.  Those 
which  have  produced  the  most  disastrous  consequences  at  Li 
ma,  occurred  in  the  years  1586,  1630,  1687, 1746,  and  1806. 
It  has  been  remarked,  says  Mr.  Stevenson,  that  the  vegeta 
ble  world  suffers  very  much  by  a  great  shock.  The  country 
about  Lima,  and  all  that  range  of  coast,  were  particularly  af 
fected  by  that  which  happened  in  1687.  The  crops  of  wheat, 
maize,  and  other  grain,  were  entirely  destroyed  ;  and.for  sev 
eral  years  afterwards,  the  ground  was  totally  unproductive. 
At  that  period,  wheat  was  first  brought  from  Chili,  which 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  687 


country  has  ever  since  been  considered  the  granary  of  Lima, 
Guayaquil,  and  Panama.  Mr.  Caldcleugh,  adverting  to  this 
current  statement,  suggests  as  a  probable  explanation  of  the 
phenomena,  that  the  streams  and  springs  may  be  affected  by 
the  motion  of  the  earth,  so  that  certain  localities  may  be  ren 
dered  sterile  which  were  previously  fertile,  while  others 
may  have  gained  in  the  same  ratio.  The  climate  of  Lower 
Peru,  he  remarks,  owing  to  the  heat,  could  never  have  been 
very  favorable  to  the  growth  of  wheat.  It  is  remarkable 
that  the  great  earthquakes  of  1G87  and  1746  were  succeeded 
by  rain  ;  and  after  the  violent  shock  of  1806,  the  streets 
of  Lima  were  almost  inundated  for  several  days,  a  circum 
stance  which  must  have  completed  the  ruin  and  terror  of 
the  inhabitants. 

The  majority  of  the  men  of  Lima,  says  Mr.  Miller,  have 
the  appearance  of  being  feeble  and  emaciated.  These 
physical  effects  are  certainly  not  attributable  to  climate  alone, 
but  may  be  ascribed  also  to  the  general  dissoluteness  which 
characterize  the  old  regime  :  in  proof  of  which,  those  who 
have  latterly  grown  to  maturity,  showed  themselves,  during 
the  campaigns,  to  be  hardy,  enterprising,  and  infinitely  supe 
rior  to  their  predecessors,  who  had  been  taught  to  cringe  to 
Spanish  satraps,  and  to  familiarize  their  minds  with  every 
species  of  meanness.  Hence,  the  duplicity,  dishonesty,  shame 
ful  political  inconsistency,  and  total  want  of  public  spirit, 
evinced  by  some  few  who  have  attained  office  since  the  over 
throw  of  the  all-debasing  European  despotism.  From  the 
rising  generation  in  Peru,  higher  expectations  may  be  formed. 
The  youth  generally  possess  great  natural  vivacity  as  well  as 
talent,  and  are  impelled  by  an  honest  ambition  to  render 
themselves  useful  to  their  country.  The  climate  of  Lima 
seems  to  be  favorable  to  the  quickening  of  the  intellectual 
faculties. 

The  traveller  who  has  given  the  most  favorable  account  of 
the  people  of  Lima,  (although  he  is  not  very  partial,  and 
scarcely  just  towards  the  old  Spaniards,)  is  Mr.  Stevenson. 
A  Creole  of  Lima,  he  says,  partakes  in  many  respects  of  the 
character  of  an  Andalusian  ;  he  is  lively,  generous,  and  care 
less  of  to-morrow  ;  fond  of  dress  and  variety  ;  slow  to  revenge 
injuries,  and  willing  to  forget  them.  Of  all  his  vices,  dissipa 
tion  certainly  is  the  greatest.  His  conversation  is  quick  and 
pointed.  That  of  the  fair  sex  is  extremely  gay  and  witty, 
giving  them  an  open  frankness,  which  some  foreigners  have 
been  pleased  to  term  levity,  or  something  a  little  more  dis- 


688 


TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


honorable,  attaching  the  epithet  immoral  to  their  general 
character.  This  traveller  chivalrously  defends  the  ladies  of 
Lima  against  this  imputation;  asserting  that  the  female  Cre 
oles  are  generally  kind  mothers  and  faithful  wives;  that  con 
jugal  and  paternal  affection,  filial  piety,  beneficence,  gener 
osity,  good  nature,  and  hospitality,  are  the  inmates  of  almost 
every  house.  The  testimonies  and  opinions  of  foreign  visi- 
ters  are  to  be  received  with  caution,  whether  they  incline  to 
a  favorable  or  an  uncandid  view  of  the  state  of  society.  But 
there  is  a  well-known  proverbial  description  of  the  Peruvian 
capital,  which  will  probably  be  thought  to  have  some  truth  for 
its  foundation.  Lima  has  been  styled  "  the  heaven  of  women, 
the  purgatory  of  husbands,  and  the  hell  of  asses."  The  first 
expression  is  explained  as  referring  to  the  power  the  ladies 
exercise,  and  the  consideration  they  enjoy  :  the  second  does 
not  favor  the  representation,  that  conjugal  happiness  is  very 
general. 

With  regard  to  the  personal  attractions  of  the  Limenas, 
our  authorities  equally  differ.  Lieutenant  Brand  represents 
their  walking  dress  as  indelicate  and  disgusting;  and  he 
would  infer  from  their  very  costume  the  extreme  laxity  of 
morals.  We  shall  give  Mr.  Stevenson's  account  of  this  sin 
gular  costume. 

"  The  walking  dress  of  the  females  of  all  descriptions 
is  the  saya  y  inanto.  The  former  is  a  petticoat  of  velvet, 
satin,  or  stuff,  generally  black  or  of  a  cinnamon  color,  plait 
ed  in  very  small  folds,  and  rather  elastic  ;  it  sits  close  to  the 
body, and  shows  its  shape  to  the  utmost  possible  advantage.  At 
the  bottom,  it  is  too  narrow  to  allow  the  wearer  to  step  for 
ward  freely;  but  the  short  step  rather  adds  to,  than  deprives 
her  of  a  graceful  air.  This  part  of  the  dress  is  often  taste 
fully  ornamented  round  the  bottom  with  lace,  fringes,  span 
gles,  pearls,  artificial  flowers,  or  whatever  may  be  considered 
fashionable.  Among  ladies  of  the  higher  order,  the  saya  is  of 
different  colors,  purple,  pale  blue,  load  color,  or  striped.  The 
inanto  is  a  hood  of  thin  black  silk,  drawn  round  the  waist,  and 
then  carried  over  the  head  ;  by  closing  it  before,  they  can  hide 
the  whole  of  the  face,  one  eye  alone  being  visible  :  sometimes 
they  show  half  the  face,  but  this  depends  on  the  choice  of  the 
wearer.  A  fine  shawl  or  handkerchief,  hanging  down  before, 
a  rosary  in  the  hand,  silk  stockings,  and  satin  shoes,  complete 
the  costume. 

"  The  hood  is,  undoubtedly,  derived  from  the  Moors ; 
and  to  a  stranger,  it  has  a  very  curious  appearance ;  how- 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  689 


ever,  I  confess  that  I  became  so  reconciled  to  the  sight,  that  I 
thought,  and  still  think  it,  both  handsome  and  genteel.  This 
dress  is  peculiar  to  Lima  ;  indeed,  I  never  saw  it  worn  any 
where  else  in  South  America.  It  is  certainly  very  con 
venient;  for,  at  a  moment's  notice,  a  lady  can,  without  the 
necessity  of  changing  her  under  dress,  put  on  her  say  a  y 
manto,  and  go  out ;  and  no  female  will  walk  in  the  street  in 
any  other  in  the  day  time.  For  the  evening  promenade,  an 
English  dress  is  often  adopted  ;  but  in  general,  a  large  shawl 
is  thrown  over  the  head,  and  a  hat  is  worn  over  all.  Be 
tween  the  folds  of  the  shawl  it  is  not  uncommon  to  perceive 
a  lighted  cigar ;  for,  although  several  of  the  fair  sex  are  ad 
dicted  to  smoking,  none  of  them  choose  to  practise  it 
openly. 

"  When  the  ladies  appear  on  pub?ic«occasions,  at  the  thea 
tre,  bull  circus,  and  pascos,  (promenades,)  they  are  dressed 
in  the  English  or  French  costume:  but  they  are  always  very 
anxious  to  exhibit  a  profusion  of  jewelry,  to  which  they  are 
particularly  partial.  A  lady  in  Lima  would  much  rather 
possess  an  extensive  collection  of  precious  gems  than  a  gay 
equipage.  They  are  immoderately  fond  of  perfumes,  and 
spare  no  expense  in  procuring  them.  It  is  a  well-known 
fact  that  many  poor  females  attend  at  the  archbishop's  gate, 
and,  after  receiving  a  pittance,  immediately  purchase  with 
the  money  aqua  rica,  or  some  other  scented  water.  Even  the 
ladies,  not  content  with  the  natural  fragrance  of  flowers, 
often  add  to  it  and  spoil  it  hy  sprinkling  them  with  lavender 
water,  spirits  of  musk,  or  ambergris,  and  often  by  fumigating 
them  with  gum  benzoin,  musk,  and  amber,  particularly  the 
mistura,  which  is  a  compound  of  jessamine,  wall  flowers,, 
orange  flowers,  and  others,  picked  from  the  stalks.  Smalt 
apples  and  green  limes  are  also  filled  with  slices  of  cinna 
mon  and  cloves.  The  mixture  is  generally  to  be  found  on  a 
salver  at  a  lady's  toilet.  They  will  distribute  it  among  their 
friends,  by  asking  for  a  pocket  handkerchief,  tying  up  a 
small  quantity  in  the  corner,  and  sprinkling  it  with  some  per 
fume,  expecting  the  compliment  'that  it  is  most  delicately 
seasoned.'  "* 

"  The  custom  of  wearing  these  veils,  or  going  tapada,  (as 
it  is  called,)  which  the  Spaniards  adopted  from  the  Moors, 
has  been  interdicted  in  Spain,  under  heavy  penalties,  by  re 
peated  edicts,  but  always  without  effect :  and  in  1609,  an 

*  Stevenson's  Twenty  Years' Residence. 


690  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


attempt  was  made  to  enforce  the  prohibition  at  Lima,  but 
the  Viceroy  discouraged  it  as  impracticable.  The  ladies, 
Mr.  Caldcleugh  tells  us,  advance  many  substantial  and  un 
answerable  reasons  for  not  changing  this  custom.  The 
sun  scorches  their  faces,  and  they  would  be  prevented  from 
visiting  the  sick,  and  performing  charitable  actions  without 
publicity.  The  freedom  allowed  by  it,  another  traveller  as 
sures  us,  is  almost  unbounded.  They  live,  in  fact,  when 
abroad,  in  a  perpetual  masquerade,  nothing  affording  them 
more  amusement  than  to  deceive  their  acquaintance,  by 
passing  themselves  off  as  strangers,  or  to  watch  their  move 
ments,  and  listen  to  their  conversation,  unobserved.  At  pub 
lic  places,  and  on  occasions  such  as  that  above  described, 
they  permit  any  gentlemen  of  genteel  exterior  to  address 
them,  and  converse,  without  previous  introduction.  They 
even  stop  at  the  windows  of  rooms  on  the  ground  floor,  and 
converse  with,  or  pay  gentlemen  visits  in  their  own  houses, 
two  or  three  of  them  together ;  but,  in  that  case,  always 
without  discovering  themselves,  and  checking  any  attempt  to 
remove  the  silken  mask,  which  would,  indeed,  be  immediate 
ly  resented  as  an  unpardonable  insult."* 


cusco. 

Cusco,or  Cuzco,  the  most  ancient  city  of  Peru,  is  situated 
amid  the  Andes,  on  the  skirts  of  various  mountains,  184 
leagues  from  Lima,  and  290  from  Buenos  Ayres. 

Most  of  the  houses  are  of  stone.  They  are  well  construct 
ed,  laid  out  in  regular  proportions,  and  covered  with  tiles 
of  a  bright  red  color.  The  apartments  are  spacious  and 
finely  decorated  ;  the  mouldings  of  the  doors  are  gilt,  and  the 
other  ornaments  and  furniture  are  in  a  style  corresponding  to 
the  elegance  of  the  buildings,  and  the  good  taste  for  which 
the  inhabitants  are  so  generally  noted.  The  population  of 
this  city  is  estimated  by  Alcedo  at  26,000,  it  having  suffered 
greatly  by  a  pestilence  in  1720.  But  Mr.  Miller  states,  that 
in  1825,  it  contained  above  40,000  inhabitants.  Three- 
fourths  of  the  inhabitants  are  stated  to  be  Indians,  who  are 

*  Malhison's  Visit. 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  691 


occupied  chiefly  in  the  manufacture  of  baize,  cotton,  and 
leather,  likewise  of  ordinary  cloth,  and  a  kind  of  linen  used 
chiefly  as  clothing  by  the  poor,  saddles,  floor  carpets,  galloon 
of  gold,  silver,  and  silk  parchment,  and  other  preparations 
from  various  skins.  The  natives,  who  are  of  an  ingenious 
disposition,  are  also  said  to  have  a  taste  for  painting,  and  to 
excel  in  the  arts  of  embroidery  and  engraving.  They  are,  in 
general,  a  very  diligent,  industrious  people. 

Cusco  is  an  episcopal  city,  and  its  bishop  is  suffragan  to 
the  archbishop  of  Lima.  The  members  of  the  cathedral 
chapter,  besides  the  bishop,  are  five  dignitaries,  viz.  the  dean, 
archdean,  chanter,  rector,  and  treasurer ;  two  canons  by 
competition;  a  magistrate  and  penitentiary ;  three  canons  by 
presentation  ;  and  two  prebendaries.  The  cathedral  is  a 
large,,  rich  and  handsome  edifice,  built  entirely  of  stone.  It 
is  smaller  than  that  of  Lima,  but  is  by  some  preferred  to  it,  in 
point  of  the  architecture. 

The  city  of  Cusco,  as  it  is  the  most  ancient,  so,  in  point 
of  extent,  it  is  still  the  second  in  the  viceroyalty  of  Peru, 
being  only  inferior  to  Lima,  and  so  little  inferior,  that  as  the 
latter  may  be  called  the  maritime  capital  of  that  viceroyal 
ty,  the  former  may  be  considered  as  its  inland  metropolis. 
Proudly  situated  amongst  the  surrounding  Andes,  and  boast 
ing  of  an  origin  that  reaches  back  to  a  remote  antiquity,  it 
may  justly  lay  claim  to  the  dignity  of  a  capital.  Its  north 
and  west  sides  are  surrounded  by  the  mountain  of  the  for 
tress,  and  others,  called  by  the  general  name  Sanca ;  on  the 
south  it  borders  on  a  plain,  in-  which  there  are  several  beau 
tiful  walks.  The  fortress  which  gives  its  name  to  the  moun 
tain,  situated  towards  the  north  and  the  west  of  the  city,  is 
still  to  be  traced  in  its  ruins.  These  occur  in  the  heights 
contiguous  to  the  northern  part  of  the  city,  and  are  the  re 
mains  of  the  famous  fort  built  by  the  Incas  for  their  defence. 
Their  design  when  they  erected  this  edifice,  appears  to  have 
been  to  inclose  the  whole  mountain  with  a  prodigious  wall, 
of  such  construction  as  might  render  the  ascent  of  it  abso 
lutely  impracticable  to  an  enemy,  at  the  same  time  that  it 
might  be  easily  defended  from  within.  This  wall  was  en 
tirely  of  freestone,  and,  like  all  the  other  works  of  the  Incas, 
was  strongly  built,  being  particularly  remarkable  for  its  di 
mensions,  and  the  magnitude  of  the  stones  of  which  it  is  com 
posed,  as  well  as  the  art  with  which  they  were  combined.  The 
stones,  which  form  the  principal  part  of  the  work,  are  indeed 


692  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


of  such  vast  size,  that  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  they 
could  have  been  brought  thither  from  the  quarries,  by  the 
bare  strength  of  men,  unassisted  by  the  use  of  machines.  One 
of  them,  which  is  still  lying  on  the  ground,  and  which  seems 
not  to  have  been  applied  to  the  use  intended,  is  called  La 
Cansado,  or  the  troublesome,  in  allusion  probably  to  the  la 
bor  with  which  its  removal  was  effected.  The  interstices 
between  those  enormous  masses  were  filled  with  smaller 
stones,  which  are  so  closely  joined,  that  a  very  narrow  in 
spection  is  necessary  for  perceiving  that  the  whole  is  not  a 
single  block  of  stone.  It  may  well  appear  surprising,  how 
materials  so  vast  and  shapeless,  and  of  so  irregular  a  super- 
fices  as  those  which  enter  into  this  building,  could  be  knit 
together,  and  laid  one  upon  another  with  such  nicety,  inde 
pendently  of  the  use  of  mortar  or  any  other  combining  sub 
stance  ;  and  yet  more  without  the  knowledge,  on  the  part  ol 
those  by  whom  the  building  was  erected,  even  of  iron  or 
steel,  or  the  simplest  mechanical  powers.  The  outward 
wall  of  this  fortress  is  still  standing,  but  the  internal  works, 
which  consist  of  apartments  and  two  other  walls,  are  for  the 
most  part  in  ruins.  A  subterranean  passage  of  singular 
construction,  led  from  the  fortress  to  the  palace  of  the  In- 
cas.  In  these  the  walls  were  cut  very  crooked,  admitting 
for  a  certain  space  only  one  peison  to  pass  at  a  time,  and 
this  sideways,  while  shortly  afterwards  two  might  pass  abreast. 
The  egress  was  by  a  rock  worked  in  the  same  narrow  man 
ner  on  the  other  side  ;  the  whole  being  upon  a  plan  which, 
by  enabling  a  single  person  to  defend  himself  with  ease 
against  a  great  number,  seemed  well  calculated  to  afford 
security  against  any  sudden  assault.  The  whole  of  these 
ruins,  together  with  the  fragments  of  a  pavement  of  stone, 
built  also  by  order  of  the  Incas,  and  which  led  to  the  place 
where  Lima  now  stands,  are  certainly  no  mean  monuments 
of  ancient  art.  The  baths  also,  of  which  the  one  is  of 
cold,  and  the  other  of  warm  water,  are  not  undeserving  of 
attention. 

Cusco  is,  in  point  of  antiquity,  coeval  with  the  empire  of 
the  Incas.  It  was  founded  by  the  first  Inca,  Manco  Capac, 
(i.  e.  rich  in  virtue,)  as  the  seat  and  capital  of  his  empire. 
This  prince  is  supposed  to  have  reigned  in  the  12th  or  13th 
century.  It  was  in  the  month  of  October,  1534,  that  Don 
Francisco  Pizarro  entered  this  city,  and  took  possession  of 
it  in  the  name  of  Charles  V.  emperor  and  king  of  Spain 
This  was  followed  by  a  siege  on  the  part  of  Inca  Manco, 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  693 

AREQUIPA. 

who  laid  great  part  of  it  in  ashes,  but,  without  dislodging  the 
Spaniards.  Manco  Capac  was  crowned  here  with  the  per 
mission  of  Pizarro  ;  but  having  been  afterwards  defeated  by 
the  Spaniards,  he  retired  to  the  mountains,  and  is  supposed  to 
have  died  about  the  year  1553.  The  commerce  of  Cusco 
consists  chiefly  of  the  very  large  quantity  of  sugar  made 
in  the  neighboring  jurisdictions,  the  inhabitants  of  which  have 
many  sugar  plantations.* 


AREQUIPA. 

Arequipa  is  the  capital  of  a  province  of  the  same  name. 
It  is  a  large  and  well-built  city,  containing  from  30,000  to 
40,000  inhabitants.  It  stands  in  a  plain,  watered  by  the 
Chile,  about  20  leagues  from  the  coast,  in  latitude  16°  16' 
south  ;  longitude  72°  west.  It  is  about  217  leagues  south 
east  of  Lima,  and  60  southwest  of  Cusco.  At  a  distance  of 
six  or  eight  miles  east  of  the  city  is  a  conical  mountain,  the 
base  of  which  may  be  about  five  leagues  in  circumference ; 
on  the  summit  is  a  crater,  which  throws  out  smoke,  unac 
companied  by  flame  or  cinders.  A  column  of  thin  vapor  was 
issuing  from  the  volcano  during  the  whole  time  the  patriots 
occupied  Arequipa;  this  had  continued  for  some  time.  The 
mountain,  being  part  of  the  foreground  of  the  Andes,  does 
not  appear  very  lofty  to  the  eye  :  but  some  Englishmen  who 
climbed  it,  spent  two  days  in  making  an  excursion  to  the 
summit ;  a  task  which  has  seldom  been  accomplished,  owing 
to  the  difficulties  of  the  ascent.  The  river  Chile  flows 
through  the  city,  and  is  crossed  by  a  handsome  stone  bridge. 
The  walls  of  the  cathedral,  the  convents,  and  churches,  and 
even  of  the  houses,  are  of  stone,  and  of  great  thickness,  in 
order  to  provide  against  great  earthquakes,  which  are  very 
frequent,  and  sometimes  very  destructive.  Four  times,  Ul- 
loa  states,  by  these  dreadful  convulsions,  the  city  has  been 
laid  in  ruins.  The  first  occurred  in  1582  ;  the  second,  ac 
companied  with  an  eruption  of  the  volcano,  in  February, 
1600  ;  the  third,  in  1604  ;  and  the  fourth,  in  1725.  Besides 
these,  the  earthquakes  of  1687,  1732,  1738,  1785,  and  1819 
were  scarcely  less  violent. 

*  Edinburgh  Encyclopaedia. 


TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


TRUXILLO BUENOS  AYRES. 


TRUXILLO. 

The  city  of  Truxillo  is  situated  in  latitude  8°  6'  south, 
about  half  a  league  from  the  sea,  in  the  valley  of  Chimu. 
It  is  surrounded  with  a  wall  of  sun-dried  bricks,  about  five 
feet  thick,  and  ten  in  height,  with  a  parapet  above  it,  and 
fifteen  bastions.  There  are  five  gates,  leading  to  as  many 
roads.  The  circumference  of  the  city  is  about  a  league  and 
a  half.  The  streets  are  broad,  and  cross  at  right  angles,  with 
a  plaza  mayor  in  the  centre,  according  to  the  universal  plan 
of  Spanish  towns.  Few  of  the  houses  are  more  than  one 
floor  in  height,  owing  to  the  frequency  of  earthquakes.  The 
best  are  built,  like  those  of  Lima,  with  an  interior  potto,  the 
principal  rooms  being  spacious  and  lofty,  with  ceilings  of  red 
cedar,  richly  carved.  There  is  an  alamcda,  or  promenade, 
forming  part  of  the  Huanchaco  road.  Besides  the  cathedral, 
there  are  three  parochial  churches,  and  eight  or  nine  con 
ventual  churches,  there  being  four  monasteries,  a  college, 
(formerly  belonging  to  the  Jesuits,)  a  hospital  of  Our  Lady 
of  Bethlehem,  (Bethlemites,)  and  two  nunneries.  The 
women,  in  their  dress  and  customs,  follow  very  nearly  those 
of  Lima.  Great  numbers  of  chaises  are  seen  here,  there  not 
being  a  family  of  credit  without  one,  as  the  sandy  soil  is 
very  troublesome  in  walking.  The  population  is  under 
9,000  souls.  Several  British  merchants,  and  some  North 
Americans,  are  among  the  residents. 


BUENOS    AYRES. 


BUENOS  AYRES. 

BUENOS  AYRES  was  founded  in  1534.  It  received  its 
name  on  account  of  the  salubrity  of  its  climate.  It  is  sit 
uated  on  the  western  shore  of  the  Plata,  about  two  hundred 
miles  from  its  mouth.  Estimated  population  100,000.  It 
extends  north  and  south  about  two  miles,  including  the  sub 
urbs,  and  is  in  general  about  half  a  mile  wide, — rather  more 
in  the  centre.  The  streets  are  straight  and  regular,  unpaved 
in  the  middle,  but  with  raised  footpaths  on  each  side.  "  The 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  695 


BUENOS    AYRES. 


houses,"  observes  Mr.  Brackenridge,  "  are  pretty  generally 
two  stories  high,  with  flat  roofs,  and,  for  the  most  part,  plas 
tered  on  the  outside  ;  which,  without  doubt,  at  first  improved 
their  appearance  ;  but  by  time  and  neglect,  they  have  be 
come  somewhat  shabby.  There  are  no  elegant  rows  of 
buildings,  as  in  Philadelphia,  or  New  York  ;  but  many  are 
spacious,  and  all  take  up  more  ground  than  with  us.  The 
reason  of  this  is,  that  they  have  large  open  courts,  or  veran 
das,  both  in  front  and  rear,  which  are  called  patios.  These 
patios  are  not  like  our  yards,  enclosed  by  a  wall  or  railing; 
their  dwellings,  for  the  most  part,  properly  compose  three 
connected  buildings,  forming  as  many  sides  of  a  square  ;  the 
wall  of  the  adjoining  house  making  up  the  fourth.  In  the 
centre  of  the  front  building  there  is  a  gateway,  and  the 
rooms  on  either  hand,  as  we  enter,  are  in  general  occupied 
as  places  of  business,  or  merchants'  counting-rooms;  the 
rear  building  is  usually  the  cjining-room,  while  that  on  the 
left,  or  right,  (as  it  may  happen,)  is  the  sitting-room  or  par 
lor.  The  patio  is  usually  paved  with  brick,  and  sometimes 
with  marble,  and  is  a  cool  and  delightful  place.  Grape-vines 
are  planted  round  the  walls,  which,  in  the  proper  season, are 
loaded  with  fruit.  The  houses  have  as  little  wood  as  possi 
ble  about  them  ;  both  the  first  and  second  floor  having  brick 
pavements  ;  'fire-engines  are  therefore  unknown ;  and  to  the 
conflagrations  which  so  often  devastate  our  large  cities,  the 
people  are  entire  strangers.  There  are  no  chimneys  but 
those  of  kitchens.  At  all  the  windows,  there  is  a  light  iron 
grating,  which  projects  about  one  foot. 

"  But  little  attention  is  paid  to  the  cleanliness  of  the 
streets;  in  one  of  the  front  streets,  where  there  was  no  pave 
ment,  I  observed  several  mud-holes;  into  these,  dead  cats  and 
dogs  are  sometimes  thrown,  from  too  much  indolence  to  car 
ry  Ihem  out  of  the  way.  The  sidewalks  are  very  narrow, 
and  in  bad  repair  ;  this  is  better  than  at  Rio  Janeiro,  where 
there  are  none  at  all.  I  observed,  however,  as  I  went  along, 
a  number  of  convicts,  as  I  took  them  to  be,  engaged  in 
mending  the  bad  places,  already  mentioned.  In  these  par 
ticulars,  I  was  very  much  reminded  of  New  Orleans;  in 
fact,  in  many  other  points,  I  observed  a  striking  resemblance 
between  the  two  cities.  I  can  say  but  little  for  the  police, 
when  compared  to  our  towns ;  but  this  place  manifests  a  still 
greater  superiority  over  Rio  Janeiro  ;  and  many  important 
improvements,  that  have  been  introduced  within  a  few  years 
past,  were  pointed  out  to  me.  I  should  like  to  see,  how- 


696  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


BUENOS    AYRKS. 


ever,  some  trouble  bestowed  in  cleaning  those  streets  that 
are  paved,  and  in  paving  the  rest,  as  well  as  in  freeing  the 
fronts  of  their  houses  from  the  quantity  of  dust  collected, 
wherever  it  can  find  a  resting  place." 

"  But  it  is  time  to  speak  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  city,  and 
of  the  people  who  frequent  it.  And  here,  whether  illusion 
or  reality,  I  shall  not  take  upon  me  to  say, — but  certain  it  is, 
I  had  not  walked  far,  before  I  felt  myself  in  a  land  of  free 
dom.  There  was  an  independence,  an  ingenuousness  in  the 
carriage,  and  an  expression  in  the  countenances  of  those  I  met, 
which  reminded  me  of  my  own  country;  an  air  of  freedom 
breathed  about  them,  which  I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe. 

"  1  saw  nothing  but  the  plainness  and  simplicity  of  repub 
licanism  ;  in  the  streets,  there  were  none  but  plain  citizens, 
and  citizen  soldiers  ;  some  of  the  latter,  perhaps,  showing 
a  little  of  the  coxcomb,  and  others  exhibiting  rather  a  militia 
appearance,  riot  the  less  agreeable  to  me  on  that  account. 
In  fact,  I  could  almost  have  fancied  myself  in  one  of  our 
towns,  judging  by  the  dress  and  appearance  of  the  people 
whom  I  met.  Nothing  can  be  more  different  than  the  pop 
ulation  of  this  place  from  that  of  Rio.  I  saw  no  one  bear 
ing  the  insignia  of  nobility,  except  an  old  crazy  man,  fol 
lowed  by  a  train  of  roguish  boys.  There  were  no  palan 
quins,  or  rattling  equipages ;  in  these  matters  there  was 
much  less  luxury  and  splendor  than  with  us.  The  females, 
instead  of  being  immured  by  jealousy,  are  permitted  to  walk 
abroad  and  breathe  the  air.  The  supreme  director  has  no 
grooms,  gentlemen  of  the  bedchamber,  nor  any  of  the  train 
which  appertains  to  royalty,  nor  has  his  wife  any  maids  of 
honor;  his  household  is  much  more  plain  than  most  of  the 
private  gentlemen  of  fortune  in  our  own  country:  it  is  true, 
when  he  rides  out  to  his  country  seat,  thirty  miles  off,  he  is 
accompanied  by  half  a  dozen  horsemen,  perhaps  a  necessary 
precaution,  considering  the  times,  and  which  may  be  dis 
pensed  with  on  the  return  of  peace  ;  or  perhaps,  a  remnant 
of  anti-republican  barbarity,  which  will  be  purged  away  by 
the  sun  of  a  more  enlightened  age  ;  indeed,  I  am  informed, 
that  the  present  director  lives  in  a  style  of  much  greater  sim 
plicity  than  any  of  his  predecessors. 

"  If  I  were  to  stop  here,  however,  I  should  not  give  a  faith 
ful  picture  of  the  appearance  to  a  stranger,  of  the  population 
of  Buenos  Ayres ;  the  mixture  of  negroes  and  mulattoes  is  by 
no  means  remarkable,  not  as  great, perhaps,  as  in  Baltimore  ; 
and  the  proportion  of  military,  such  as  we  might  have  seen  in 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  697 


BUENOS    AVRES. 


one  of  our  towns  during  the  last  war,  with  the  exception  of 
the  black  troops,  which  in  this  city  constitute  a  principal  part 
of  the  regular  force.  But  there  are  other  figures,  which  enter 
into  the  picture,  and  give  a  different  cast  to  the  whole  from 
any  thing  I  have  seen.  The  modern  European  and  North 
American  civilization,  and  I  will  add  South  American, 
which  differs  but  little  from  the  others,  was  set  off  by  a 
strange  mixture  of  antiquity,  and  aboriginal  rudeness. — 
Buenos  Ayres  may  very  justly  be  compared  to  the  bust  of  a 
very  beautiful  female,  placed  upon  a  pedestal  of  rude  un- 
shapen  stone.  Great  numbers  of  gauchos,  and  other  coun 
try  people,  are  seen  in  the  streets,  and  always  on  horseback  ; 
arid  as  there  prevails  a  universal  passion  for  riding,  the  num 
ber  of  horses  is  very  great.  The  European  mode  of  capari 
soning  is  occasionally  seen,  but  most  usually  the  bridle, 
saddle,  &,c.  would  be  regarded  as  curiosities  by  us.  The  stir 
rups  of  the  gauchos  are  so  small,  as  to  admit  a  little  more 
than  the  big  toe  of  the  rider,  who  makes  a  very  grotesque 
figure  with  his  long  flowing  poncho.  This  is  a  kind  of  striped 
cotton  or  woollen  rug,  of  the  manufacture  of  the  coun 
try,  fine  or  coarse,  according  to  the  purse  of  the  wearer,  with 
nothing  but  a  slit  in  the  middle,  through  which  the  head  is 
thrust;  it  hangs  down  perfectly  loose,  resembling  somewhat 
a  wagoner's  frock.  In  rain,  it  answers  the  purpose  of  a  big 
coat,  and  in  hot  weather,  is  placed  on  the  saddle.  It  is  also 
used  for  sleeping  on,  as  the  Indians  do  their  blankets.  It  is 
possible,  after  all,  that  this  singularity  of  dress,  may  not 
make  any  great  difference  in  the  man.  There  is  nothing  re 
markable  in  the  complexion  of  features,  excepting  when  there 
happens  to  be  a  little  dash  of  the  Indian.  There  is  more  of 
indolence,  and  vacancy,  (if  I  may  use  the  word,)  in  the  ex 
pression  of  their  countenances,  and  an  uncouth  wildness  of 
their  appearance ;  but  it  must  be  remembered,  that  we 
also  of  the  north,  are  reproached  by  Europeans  for  our  care 
lessness  of  time,  and  our  lazy  habits.  These  gauchos  I  gen 
erally  observed  clustered  about  the  pulperias,  or  grog-shops, 
of  which  there  are  great  numbers  in  the  city  and  suburbs: 
these  people  frequently  drink  and  carouse  on  horseback, while 
the  horses  of  those  that  are  dismounted  continue  to  stand 
still,  without  being  fastened,  as  they  are  all  taught  to  do,  and 
champing  the  bit.  These  carousing  groups  would  afford  ex 
cellent  subjects  for  Flemish  painters.  The  horses,  though 
not  of  a  large  size,  are  all  finely  formed  :  I  do  not  recollect 


698  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


BUENOS    AYRES. 


a  single  instance,  in  which  I  did  not  remark  good  limbs,  and 
head,  and  neck.  The  gauchos  are  often  barefooted  and  bare 
legged  ;  or,  instead  of  boots,  make  use  of  the  skin  of  the  hind 
legs  of  the  horse  ;  the  joint  answering  the  purpose  of  a  heel, 
and  furnishing  a  very  cheap  kind  of  suwarrow. 

"  Besides  the  clumsy  carts, of  which  I  have  before  spoken, 
and  the  class  of  people  which  I  have  just  described,  my  at 
tention  was  much  attracted  by  the  appearance  of  the  great 
ox-wagons,  used  with  the  trade  in  the  interior.  They  are  of 
an  enormous  size,  and  are  the  most  clumsy  contrivance  im 
aginable.  Five  or  six  of  these  in  a  line,  are  sometimes  seen 
groaning  along  the  street,  the  wheels  making  a  noise  like  the 
gates  on  the  hinges  of  Milton's  pandemonium.  The  wagon 
ers  use  no  tar  to  prevent  them  from  making  this  harsh 
noise,  as  they  say  it  is  music  to  the  oxen.  These  are,  in 
general,  uncommonly  large,  and  the  finest  that  I  ever  saw. 
Their  yokes,  in  proportion,  are  as  nonderous  as  the  wagon, 
and  in  drawing,  nothing  is  used  t)ut  the  raw  hide  strongly 
twisted.  In  fact,  this  is  the  only  kind  of  gears,  or  traces 
used  for  all  descriptions  of  carriages.  To  each  of  these 
enormous  wagons  there  are, generally,  at  least  three  drivers. 
One  sits  in  the  wagon,  with  a  long  rod  or  goad  in  his  hand, 
and  above  his  head,  suspended  in  slings,  there  is  a  bamboo 
or  cane,  at  least  thirty  feet  in  length,  as  supple  as  a  fishing- 
rod,  so  that  it  can,  occasionally,  be  used  to  quicken  the 
pace  of  the  foremost  pair  of  oxen,  which  are  fastened  to  the 
first  by  a  long  trace  of  twisted  hide.  The  interval  between 
the  different  pairs  of  oxen,  is  rendered  necessary  by  the  diffi 
culty  of  crossing  small  rivers,  whose  bottoms  are  bad,  arid 
which  are  subject  to  sudden  rises.  Another  driver  takes  his 
seat  on  the  yoke,  between  the  heads  of  the  second  pair  of 
oxen,  being  also  armed  with  a  goad,  with  its  point  turned 
backwards:  there  was  something  extremely  ludicrous  to  me 
in  the  appearance  of  this  last,  and  nothing  but  a  folded  sheep 
skin  to  sit  upon  ;  yet  content,  or  rather  inanity,  was  pictured 
in  his  countenance.  Besides  these  two,  there  is  a  third  on 
horseback,  armed  in  the  same  manner.  If  such  an  exhibi 
tion  were  to  pass  through  one  of  our  streets^  with  its  slow 
and  solemn  movement,  and  musical  groanings,  I  doubt  not  but 
it  would  attract  as  much  attention  as  half  a  dozen  elephants. 

"  As  this  is  the  fruit  season,  a  great  number  of  people  were 
crying  peaches,  up  and  down  the  street,  on  horseback,  with 
large  panniers  made  of  the  raw  hide  of  oxen,  on  each  side. 
Milk,  in  large  tin  canisters,  was  cried  about  in  the  same  way, 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  699 


BUENOS    AYRES. 


and  as  they  were  carried  in  a  tolerable  trot,  I  expected  every 
moment  to  hear  the  cry  changed  to  that  of  butter.  As  I 
moved  along  towards  the  great  square,  a  part  of  which  is 
the  principal  market  place,  (immediately  in  front  of  the  cas 
tle,  or  government  house,)  there  appeared  to  be  a  great 
throng  of  people.  I  met  some  priests  and  friars,  but  by  no 
means  as  many  as  I  expected,  and  nothing  like  the  number 
I  met  at  Rio  Janeiro.  There  are,  perhaps,  fewer  monasteries 
and  convents  in  Buenos  Ayres,  than  in  any  Spanish  town  in 
the  world.  But  as  things  are  very  much  judged  of  by  com 
parison;  it  is  highly  probable  that  if  I  had  not  touched  at  the 
place  before  mentioned,  and  had  come  directly  here  from  one 
of  our  cities,  I  should  have  considered  the  number  of  regular 
and  secular  clergy  very  considerable.  It  must  be  con 
stantly  kept  in  view,  that  in  order  to  judge  of  these  people 
fairly,  we  are  to  compare  them  with  Spanish  or  Portuguese, 
and  look  at  ichat  they  have  been,  not  to  the  state  of  things 
in  the  United  States.  The  dress  of  the  seculars  when  in 
their  canonicals,  is  like  that  of  the  episcopal  clergy,  except 
that  they  wear  a  broad  quaker  hat.  The  monks  and  friars 
are  easily  distinguished  by  their  habit  of  coarse  cloth  or 
flannel,  girt  round  the  waist,  and  with  a  cowl  or  hood  be 
hind.  In  speaking  of  the  Catholic  clergy,  we,  who  know  lit 
tle  about  them,  are  very  much  in  the  habit  of  confounding 
these  two  classes.  They  are  very  different,  both  in  character 
arid  appearance.  The  seculars  are,  necessarily,  men  of  ed 
ucation,  and  living  and  mingling  in  society,  participate  in 
the  feelings  of  the  people,  and  cannot  avoid  taking  part  in 
temporal  affairs.  The  monks,  on  the  contrary,  are  grega 
rious  ;  not  dispersed  through  society,  but  shut  up  in  their 
convents  and  monasteries,  and  not  permitted  to  mingle  in 
the  affairs  of  the  world.  From  the  first,  it  is  natural  to  ex 
pect  liberality  and  intelligence,  as  well  as  from  other  Chris 
tian  clergy ;  but  in  the  latter,  it  would  not  be  surprising  to 
find  superstition  and  ignorance. 

"On  approaching  the  market-place,  as  it  was  still  early 
in  the  day,  I  found  that  the  crowd  had  not  entirely  dispersed. 
There  is  no  market-house  or  stalls,  except  in  the  meat  mar 
ket,  situated  on  one  corner  of  the  square,  which  fronts  on 
the  plaza.  Every  thing  offered  for  sale,  was  spread  on  the 
ground.  I  can  say  but  little  in  favor  of  the  appearance  of 
cleanliness  ;  dirt  and  filth  appeared  to  have  a  prescriptive 
right  here.  One  who  had  never  seen  any  other  than  a  Phil 
adelphia  market,  can  form  no  idea  of  the  condition  of  this 


700  TRAVELS   AND    SKETCHES 


BUENOS    AYRES. 


place.  To  make  amends,  it  is  admirably  supplied  with  all 
the  necessaries  and  delicacies  that  an  abundant  and  fruit 
ful  country  can  afford.  Beef,  mutton,  fowls,  game,  &c.  with 
a  variety  of  excellent  fish,  were  here  in  great  plenty,  and  for 
prices,  which,  in  our  markets,  would  be  considered  very 
low.  Beef,  particularly,  is  exceedingly  cheap,  and  of  a  su 
perior  quality  ;  it  is  the  universal  dish,  chiefly  roasted. 
Absolute  want  is  scarcely  known  in  this  country,  any  more 
than  with  us.  As  I  passed  by  the  hucksters'  stalls,  they  pre 
sented  a  much  richer  display  than  any  I  had  been  accustomed 
to  see.  Here  apples,  grapes,  oranges,  pomegranates,  peaches, 
figs,  pineapples,  watermelons,  were  mingled  in  fair  profusion. 

"  The  plaza,  or  great  square,  is  at  least  twice  as  large  as 
the  state-house  yard  in  Philadelphia,  and  is  unequally  divided 
into  two  parts,  by  an  edifice  long  and  low,  which  serves  as  a 
kind  of  bazaar,  or  place  of  shops,  with  a  corridor  on  each 
side  the  whole  length,  which  often  serves  as  a  shelter  for  the 
market  people.  At  these  shops,  or  stores,  which  are  pretty 
well  supplied,  they  can  make  their  purchases,  without  the 
trouble  of  wandering  through  the  town.  The  space  between 
this  and  the  fort,  is  that  appropriated  for  the  market.  The 
opposite  side,  which  is  much  larger,  is  a  kind  of  place 
(f  armes  ;  and  fronting  the  building  just  spoken  of,  and  which 
intercepts  the  view  of  the  fort,  there  is  a  very  fine  edifice, 
called  the  cabildo,  or  town-house,  somewhat  resembling  that 
of  New  Orleans,  but  much  larger.  In  this  building  the 
courts  hold  their  sessions,  and  the  offices  are  kept.  The 
city  council,  or  cabildo,  also  sits  here,  and  business  of  all 
kinds  relating  to  the  police,  is  here  transacted.  Near  the 
centre  of  the  square,  a  neat  pyramid  has  been  erected,  com 
memorative  of  the  revolution,  with  four  emblematic  figures, 
one  at  each  corner,  representing  justice,  science,  liberty,  and 
America;  the  whole  enclosed  with  a  light  railing. 

"  The  shops,  or  stores,  as  far  as  I  observed,  in  my  peram 
bulations  through  the  city,  are  all  on  a  very  small  scale, 
and  make  no  show,  as  in  our  towns.  There  are  but  few 
signs,  and  those  belonging  chiefly  to  foreigners ;  such  as 
sastrc,  lotcro,  sapatcro,  &,c.,  de  Londres ;  tailor,  bootmaker, 
shoemaker,  from  London.  The  greater  part  of  the  trades, 
which  are  now  flourishing  here,  particularly  hatters,  black 
smiths,  and  many  others  that  I  might  enumerate,  have  been 
established  since  the  revolution  ;  the  journeymen  mechanics 
are  chiefly  half  Indians  and  mulattoes.  The  wages  of  an 
American  or  English  journeyman  are  higher  than  in  any 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  701 


BUENOS    AYRES. 


part  of  the  world  :  fifteen  hundred  or  two  thousand  dollars  per 
annum,  I  am  told,  are  very  commonly  given.  There  are  other 
squares  through  the  town,  besides  the  one  already  mentioned, 
in  which  the  markets  are  held.  There  are  also  large  yards, 
or  corrals,  which  belong  to  the  city,  and  are  hired  to  individu 
als  for  the  purpose  of  confining  droves  of  cattle.  I  observed 
several  large  wood-yards,  in  which  there  were  immense  piles 
of  peach  limbs,  tied  into  bundles  or  faggots,  together  with 
timber  and  fire-wood  brought  from  Paraguay,  or  the  Brazils. 
"  The  day  after  we  arrived  was  Sunday,  and  the  streels 
were  crowded  with  people.  1  was  very  frequently  reminded 
of  my  old  place  of  residence,  New  Orleans,  with  the  ex 
ception  that  the  proportion  of  colored  people  is  comparatively 
very  small;  but  amongst  the  lower  classes  I  remarked  a  great 
many  of  Indian  extraction ;  this  was  discoverable  in  the 
complexion  and  features.  The  inhabitants  generally  are  a 
shade  browner  than  those  of  North  America;  but  I  saw  a 
great  many  with  good  complexions.  They  are  a  handsome 
people.  They  have  nothing  in  their  appearance  and  char 
acter,  of  that  dark,  jealous,  and  revengeful  disposition,  we 
have  been  in  the  habit  of  attributing  to  Spaniards.  The 
men  dress  pretty  much  as  we  do  ;  but  the  women  are  fond 
of  wearing  black,  when  they  go  abroad.  The  fashion  of 
dress,  in  both  sexes,  I  am  informed,  has  undergone  great  im 
provement,  since  their  free  intercourse  with  strangers.  The 
old  Spaniards,  of  whom  there  are  considerable  numbers,  are 
easily  distinguished  by  their  darker  complexion,  the  studied 
shabbiness  of  their  dress,  and  the  morose  and  surly  expres 
sion  of  countenance  ;  this  arises  from  their  being  treated  as 
a  sort  of  Jews,  by  those  whom  they  were  wont  to  consider 
as  greatly  their  inferiors.  They  are  also  distinguished  by 
not  mounting  the  blue  and  white  cockade,  which  is  univer 
sally  worn  by  the  citizens  of  the  Republic.  The  same  num 
ber  of  Chinese,  could  scarcely  form  a  class  more  distinct 
from  the  rest  of  the  community.  There  can  hardly  be  a 
greater  affront  to  an  American  del  Sud,  than  to  call  him  a 
Spaniard.  A  young  fellow  told  me,  in  a  jesting  way,  that 
the  monks,  friars,  and  Spaniards,  were  generally  old,  and 
would  soon  die  off,  which  he  said  was  a  great  consolation."* 

*  Brackenridge  on  South  America. 


CHILE. 


SANTIAGO. 

SANTIAGO  DE  CHILE,  the  capital  of  Chile,  originally  called 
New  Estramadura,  was  founded  in  the  year  1541,  by  the  fa 
mous  Pedro  de  Valdivia.  It  is  situated  in  a  pleasant  and 
extensive  plain,  elevated,  according  to  Caldcleugh,  2951  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  Pacific.  The  plain  is  watered  by  the 
rivers  Maypo,  and  Maypocho.  The  port  of  Santiago  is  Val 
paraiso,  on  a  bay  of  the  Pacific,  90  miles  distant,  in  a  south 
erly  direction.  The  lat.  of  the  capital  is  33°  Iti'S.,  Ion.  69° 
48'  W.  Travellers  represent  it  to  be  one  of  the  finest  cities 
in  South  America,  in  point  of  "  structure,  convenience,  and 
healthfulness,"  but  as  to  local  situation  it  is  inferior  to  Lima 
and  Buenos  Ay  res.  Its  distance  from  the  ocean  must  be  a 
serious  inconvenience.  Valparaiso,  its  port,  has  an  excel 
lent  harbor ;  but  its  great  distance,  and  through  a  country 
uneven,  must  render  intercourse  between  the  two  places  dif 
ficult.  It  is  a  more  regularly  built  city  and  more  cleanly 
than  either  the  above,  but  neither  so  elegant  or  imposing. 

"  The  Plaza  or  great  square,"  says  Mr.  Caldcleugh, 
"  stands  nearly  in  the  middle  of  the  city  ;  it  occupies  the 
space  of  a  whole  quadra.  The  buildings  on  the  north-west 
side  are  the  directorial  mansion,  the  palace  of  government, 
the  prison,  and  chamber  of  justice.  On  the  south-west  side 
stands  the  cathedral  and  the  old  palace  of  the  bishop,  now 
occupied  by  the  Estado  Mayor  ;  on  the  south-east  side  are  a 
Dumber  of  little  shops,  under  a  heavy  looking  piazza,  while 
the  story  above  is  divided  into  private  dwellings  and  gambling 
houses  :  the  north-eastern  side  is  wholly  occupied  by  private 
residences,  among  which  is  the  English  hotel. 

'  The  palace  is  a  handsome,  capacious  building  of  two 
stories,  arranged  round  a  large  quadrangle;  the  lower  range 
contains  the  armory,  treasury,  and  some  other  public  offices  ; 
the  upper  story  contains  the  great  hall  of  audience,  the  of 
fices  of  the  ministers  of  state,  war,  finance,  and  the  tribunal 
of  accounts.  The  Directorial  residence  is  on  the  ground 
702 


IN    SOUTH   AMERICA.  703 


SANTIAGO. 


floor;  it  consists  of  a  handsome  suit  of  rooms,  well  furnish 
ed.  The  presidio  is  a  building  of  two  stories,  the  lower  be 
ing  occupied  as  a  prison  ;  the  upper  contains  the  offices  and 
halls  of  the  court  of  justice,  and  of  the  municipal  corpora 
tion,  or  cabildo.  These  edifices  are  built  in  the  ordinary 
bad  style  of  Moorish  architecture.  The  palace  is  by  far  the 
best  specimen  of  architecture,  and  is  the  most  imposing. 
All  these  buildings  are  of  brick,  plastered  and  whitewashed, 
the  pedestals  of  the  pilasters  alone  being  of  red  porphyry. 

"  The  cathedral  is  the  only  stone  building  in  the  city.  Its 
front  was  never  half  finished,  but,  judging  from  the  wing  that 
is  completed,  the  design  must  have  been  of  the  better  order 
of  Moorish  architecture  ;  it  is  ornamental,  but  heavy.  It  is 
built  of  a  kind  of  limestone  quarried  from  the  hill  of  San  Do 
mingo,  in  the  Chenita  suburb.  Notwithstanding  the  genial 
climate,  the  stone  is  fast  shivering  to  decay,  though  it  is 
quite  a  new  structure.  The  bishop's  palace  is  a  heavy,  de 
cayed  building  ;  and  the  houses  before  alluded  to,  with  the 
piazzas,  are  so  dilapidated  from  age,  that  apprehensions  are 
entertained  that  they  will  fall  or  be  overthrown  by  the  first 
earthquake  that  happens.  In  the  centre  of  the  square  is  an 
ornamental  fountain  of  brass,  furnished  with  water  by  a  sub 
terraneous  aqueduct,  immediately  from  the  river.  The  town 
is  chiefly  supplied  with  water  carried  hence  for  sale,  in  bar 
rels  of  ten  gallons,  two  of  which  are  a  mule's  load  :  it  is  sold 
at  a  medio,  or  three  pence  the  barrel. 

"  The  Consulado  is  a  spacious  building;  it  stands  in  front 
of  the  Jesuits'  church,  and  is  built  of  brick,  plastered  and 
whitewashed.  Here,  the  Consulado,  or  commercial  tribunal, 
meets,  and  the  senate  and  the  national  congress  also  hold 
their  sittings.  On  one  side  of  a  small  space  in  front  of  the 
Consulado,  is  the  theatre,  which  is  externally  a  miserable 
building ;  on  the  other  side  is  the  custom-house,  a  large  and 
very  capacious  building,  the  lower  story  being  occupied  as 
custom-house  warehouses,  the  upper  story,  by  the  custom 
house  and  other  public  offices.  The  Mint  is  the  largest 
building  in  the  city;  it  occupies  a  whole  quadra,  and  is  sit 
uated  in  the  Coneda,  its  front  facing  a  shabby  street.  It 
consists  of  three  quadrangular  courts,  round  which  the  of 
fices  and  salas  are  arranged.  The  fa9ade  in  front  consists  of 
a  series  of  heavy  pilasters,  surrounded  with  a  rude  cornice, 
having  above  it  a  long,  ponderous  balustrade  of  bad  work 
manship  ;  in  the  centre  is  a  large  arched  portico,  or  entrance 


704  TRAVELS    AND    SKETCHES 


SANTIAGO. 


gate,  with  massive  pillars  close  to  the  wall  on  each  side  sup 
porting  nothing  ;  the  whole  is  of  plain  brick,  and  presents  a 
paltry  appearance.  In  the  centre  of  each  side  of  the  front 
quadrangle,  whence  the  principal  entrance  doors  and  pas 
sages  lead  to  the  other  part  of  the  building,  are  two  lofty 
massive  pillars,  projecting  some  distance  from  the  door-way, 
and  supported  upon  tall  thin  pediments;  they  have  nothing 
above  them  but  a  piece  of  cornice,  of  no  greater  width  than 
their  diameters,  which  cornices  form  a  projecting  extension 
of  the  architecture  of  the  door-way.  It  is  a  very  ugly  and 
heavy  structure,  yet  the  Chilenos  point  out  the  Mint  as  the 
great  ornament  and  boast  of  their  city,  fancying  there  does 
not  exist  in  the  world  any  building  equal  to  it.  A  foreign 
er  who  visits  South  America,  if  he  wishes  to  keep  on  good 
terms  with  the  natives,  must  forget  all  he  has  left  behind  him 
in  Europe,  and  bring  his  taste  to  a  level  with  that  of  the 
Creoles.  Compared,  therefore,  with  the  present  skill  of  the 
Chilenos,  the  Mint  is  a  masterpiece  of  bricklayer's  work, 
among  a  people  accustomed  to  build  with  scarcely  any  other 
materials  than  irregularly-shaped  sun-dried  bricks,  cemented 
together  with  mud.  The  Mint,  as  well  as  the  other  public 
buildings,  were  constructed  by  bricklayers  sent  out  from 
Spain  for  the  express  purpose.  The  brick  work  of  the 
house  is  good,  but  the  design  and  arrangement  are  as  bad  as 
can  be  well  conceived. 

"  The  town  and  suburbs  are  divided  into  five  parishes. 
The  canadilla  belonging  to  Saint  Isidore,  one  division  of  the 
city,  and  chuchunco  forming  the  parisli»of  St.  Ann  :  another 
portion  of  the  city  belongs  to  St.  Paul  ;  the  western  chimba 
forms  that  of  Estampa;  the  eastern  chimba,  St.  Francis. 
All  the  parish  churches  are  mean  structures,  but  those  of  the 
convents  present  some  of  the  best  buildings  in  the  city  :  that 
of  San  Domingo,  in  the  street  of  that  name;  that  of  the  Je 
suits,  which  is  remarkable  for  its  curiously-formed  painted 
exterior  :  its  tower  is  constructed  altogether  of  timber,  the 
better  to  resist  the  shocks  of  earthquakes,  which  have  fre 
quently  overturned  the  steeples  of  the  churches."* 

*  Caldcleugh's  Travels  in  South  America. 
THE  END. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


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University  of  California 

Berkeley 


a.*490/ 


msh 


